"Ajinkya Rahane’s Melbourne hundred a statement of intent" - Shashi Tharoor after India’s historic Gabba triumph

Noted politician and cricket aficionado Shashi Tharoor has opined that stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane set the balling rolling for the team’s famous revival act Down Under, with his Boxing Day hundred.

Rahane captained India in the final three Tests of the four-match series against Australia, as regular skipper Virat Kohli returned back home on paternity leave following the first Test.

Speaking to Sportskeeda’s Indranil Basu in an SK Live session on Facebook after India’s historic triumph at the Gabba, Tharoor said that Ajinkya Rahane demonstrated what leading from the front meant. He elaborated:

“That century was a statement by (Ajinkya) Rahane. To use Kohli’s favourite words a statement of intent.”

Showering further laurels on the Indian captain, Tharoor added:

“It (the MCG hundred) was also part of setting an example that helped inspire these very confident young people.”

The Congress MP pointed out that the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy was not a high-scoring one, which made Rahane’s contribution at the MCG all the more significant. Tharoor explained:

“It (Rahane’s hundred) is the only century in the series for India. For Australia, there was (Marnus) Labuschagne’s century and (Steve) Smith’s in the previous Test. So, basically this has not been a high-scoring series of many centuries. There have lots of 30s, 40s and 50s on both sides.”

Why Ajinkya Rahane’s hundred will go down as one of his finest

Irrespective of the result of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Ajinkya Rahane’s hundred in Melbourne would have gone down as one of the best knocks by an Indian Down Under. However, in the wake of Team India’s historic series triumph, the knock is set to get an exalted status.

In hindsight, Rahane’s hundred at the MCG can be termed as the turning point of the series. India went into the Boxing Day Test on an ultimate low.

The team had broken the unwanted record for their lowest-ever Test total in the first Test in Adelaide.

As mentioned earlier, Kohli was also heading back to India and Ajinkya Rahane was himself in the firing line, having run out the Indian captain in the first innings of the first Test.

Congratulations @ajinkyarahane88 on a hard-fought series win 👏#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/HM4JKzlDp1

— ICC (@ICC) January 19, 2021

Keeping all the negativity aside, Ajinkya Rahane compiled a tenacious hundred that paved the way for India’s historic feats in Sydney and Brisbane.