After Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina and Sachin Tendulkar, it was Ambati Rayudu who entered the list of centurions in the 2012-13 Irani Cup at the Wankhede Stadium. His unbeaten knock of 118 runs on Day 4 steered Rest of India to a lead of 413 runs over Mumbai.

In the first-innings, Rayudu scored 51 before gifting Rohit Sharma a wicket with a loose shot. After scoring the century in the second innings, he said he was determined to convert the start into a big score. “I threw it away in the first innings, so I was just thinking to make sure to keep batting no matter how many runs I get,” Rayudu said. Often criticised for not being able to bat long after getting fifties, Rayudu vouched to improve his conversion rate. “Very disappointed,” he answered when he was asked how he feels about his current tally of 14 first-class centuries to 27 fifties.

“For the rest of my career I need to convert those fifties. I have lot more fifties than hundreds. The ratio should go up. Hopefully it will go up in the next half of my career,” Rayudu said.

However, the middle-order batsman was pleased with the way he has been batting in this domestic season. “To be honest I have had a very quality season.

“I am obviously disappointed that I haven't got big hundreds but I have played crucial innings in difficult conditions. I am happy with the way my batting is shaping up. Hopefully now the big innings will come,” Rayudu said.

This century, however, has come on a track that remained excellent for batting even on the fourth day. Rayudu said the wicket is still firm and hard and has enough bounce for the faster bowlers.

Mumbai’s pacer, Dhawal Kulkarni, however, was of the opinion that the pacers went out of the picture once the moisture in the wicket dried out.

“I was not needed to bowl after lunch as the spinners were containing the run-flow. After the early morning movement; it's a good wicket to bat on,” Kulkarni said.