The Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener, Ajinkya Rahane was having a rough outing in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he was missing the international last limited-overs cricket for quite some time now. Even, the game he played for India in the blue jersey was way back in February 2018 and then went out of contention from ODI and T20I squads. Subsequently, he didn’t find a place in the 15-man squad for the World Cup as well, scheduled to start on Thursday, May 30 in England and Wales.
After the snub, Rahane has finally found some form in IPL 2019 while plying his trade for RR. Last year, he led the squad to the playoffs, only to lose against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Eliminator. He started this season on a rough note as his team lost quite a few games under his captaincy and they are now languishing at the bottom of the points table.
Ajinkya’s poor run of form didn’t help his confidence either. To add to his disappointment, he was also removed from the captaincy. The Royals team management rather elected Steve Smith as the skipper. Initially, Rahane replaced Smith as the captain.
WATCH – Ajinkya Rahane Played a Scoop Shot To Chris Morris
However, on Monday, the veteran campaigner gave the best possible answer to all his critics with a masterful century against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium In Jaipur. After DC asked the hosts to bat first, RR lost Sanju Samson early, but Rahane went bonkers as he smashed the DC bowlers all-over the part. Even he got a lifeline in the 5th over when Ishant dropped a sitter.
https://twitter.com/Vidshots1/status/1120375103676485639
Along with SteveSmith, Ajinkya was toying with the bowlers as from the score of 59/1 in the first 7 overs. They took RR to a total of 135/1 at the 13-over mark. Meanwhile, both of them completed their respective half-centuries as well. During their partnership, Rahane played a scoop shot in the 13th over of Chris Morris. Rahane added 130 runs off 72 deliveries with Smith. He completed his century in 58 balls and eventually remained unbeaten on 105 runs from 63 balls with the help for 11 boundaries and three sixes.
Here is how Twitter reacted after Rahane’s century:
Take a bow👏👏👏 u beauty bro @ajinkyarahane88 classic hundred in t20 👏👏pure timing 💯 @rajasthanroyals @IPL pic.twitter.com/DFvfEzzF9p
— Rahul Sharma (@ImRahulSharma3) April 22, 2019
Awesome from @ajinkyarahane88 ! Congrats mate, so happy for you. Class is permanent #HallaBol https://t.co/urOOPCjYNk
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) April 22, 2019
Well played ajju! top notch buddy. @ajinkyarahane88 #RRvDC #VIVOIPL #GameBanayegaName
— Pragyan Ojha (@pragyanojha) April 22, 2019
Well Played, Ajinkya. Very few T20 centuries are bereft of power….this one was. Rare. All timing. ☺️🙇♂️ #RRvDC #IPL
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) April 22, 2019
Finally Rahane throws caution to the winds. On someone’s pushing or on his own? Does not matter. Shows he has the T20 shots, it was just his mind holding him back. #RR
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) April 22, 2019
So happy to see Rahane showcasing his skills with the bat. Maybe taking the captaincy away from him has allowed him to just focus on batting or it has fired him up. Whichever it is = plenty of run for @rajasthanroyals #RRvsDC
— Lisa Sthalekar (@sthalekar93) April 22, 2019
No Brutal hitting. Just shown timing and pure class a 58-ball century for Ajinkya Rahane…
— Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) April 22, 2019
