Team India middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane achieved the rare merit of scoring tons in both innings of a Test match during the last match against South Africa at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla. Rahane, whose career is just 22 Tests old, has earned huge applause from skipper Virat Kohli.
Kohli said the gift Rahane had of timing plus power was one not many people possessed. “One thing that I have noticed over the years and MS (Dhoni) always mentioned was that the ball always goes off his (Rahane’s) bat quicker than most people. You see his passion in the IPL as well. He is a totally different human being. It looks like he’s possessed or he has some different batting powers.
“The good thing about him is that he changes according to the format which I think in these days is very important, so all credit to him. It requires a lot of hard work and he’s ready to put in those hard yards in every format and improve on every game that he’s played, so that’s a great sign for Indian cricket,” Kohli said here on Friday during the launch of ICC World T20 India 2016.
On being quizzed about his Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate AB de Villiers’ patient innings (43 off 297 balls) during the Kotla Test, Kohli said he had been taken aback by the approach and did not expect AB to play such an enduring knock.
“I did not think AB would do it. He has done it in the past, but when you are two down in a series, to have the mental strength and actually go out there and play 300-odd balls and score 40 runs for a guy who is all about instinct, it showed the versatility in his game.
“It’s a learning experience for everybody around the world who thinks that application is not required in Test cricket and you just go out there and smash your way to a century.
“From what he did, his stature just grew,” Kohli added.
