"Redemption starts today" - Twitterati hail Ajinkya Rahane after a brilliant century against Saurashtra in Ranji Trophy 2021-22

Twitter reactions to Ajinkya Rahane's Ranji Trophy ton.
Twitter reactions to Ajinkya Rahane's Ranji Trophy ton.

Ajinkya Rahane once again divided opinion with his batting on Thursday. But unlike most of the last 12 months, this time he did so by scoring a brilliant hundred for Mumbai on the opening day of Ranji Trophy 2021-22 against Saurashtra.

The former India vice-captain reached the elusive three-figure mark off 211 balls, against a bowling attack comprising the defending champions' skipper Jaydev Unadakat, Chetan Sakariya and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, among others.

Slotted at No.4 in the batting order, he came to the crease when Mumbai were in a spot of bother at 22-2 after just 7.1 overs. The scoreboard soon read 44-3, bringing Sarfaraz Khan to the crease alongside the senior cricketer. The duo struck together a 175-run partnership, taking Mumbai to 219-3 in the third session.

Rahane was assertive with his running between the wickets and took on the bowlers when necessary, hitting 14 fours and two sixes in the process. The 33-year-old has been under immense pressure for his dipping international returns since early 2021. He might just have given a new life to his career with this ton.

Reacting to the innings, some fans on Twitter saw the innings as the start of a "redemption," some felt that one good domestic knock wasn't enough to feature in the upcoming Sri Lanka's tour of India, while others just had their fun bringing up Cheteshwar Pujara (who's in the Saurashtra team) and Virat Kohli.

The following are the best of the lot:

Ajinkya Rahane was signed by KKR for ₹2 crore

Whether or not he gets selected for the Sri Lanka Tests, which will begin on March 4, Rahane is likely to get some extended game time in IPL 2022.

He was signed by two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the recent mega auction for his base price of ₹2 crore and could be seen opening the batting alongside Venkatesh Iyer when the IPL season kicks off in late March.

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