Ajinkya Rahane Makes a Mark With Maiden Ton vs England

Ajinkya Rahane reposed the faith placed in him by selectors when he hit an aggressive century to help India defeat England at Edgbaston on Tuesday. His 106 off 100 helped his team seal a bilateral ODI series in England for the first time in 24 years. (Scorecard | Match report | Highlights)

Chasing a rather moderate target 207, Rahane opened the innings with Shikhar Dhawan (97*). The two ensured England fans had absolutely nothing to cheer about after a lackluster batting display from their side. Rahane took the lead and kept smashing the bowlers to all parts of the ground. Such was the dominant nature of his batting - 10 fours and four sixes - that partner Dhawan soon took cue and hit his fair share of boundaries as well - 11 fours and four sixes.

The innings though was mainly powered by 26-year-old Rahane who previously had six ODI fifties but had always failed before reaching the three-figure mark. On Tuesday, he completed his fifty off sixty balls and looked determined to reach uncharted personal highs of ODI batting. The focus did not waver as he brought up his century off 96 deliveries. "When you open, you need to open with a free mind," said the 26-year-old at the post-match ceremony. "Shikhar and I just wanted to enjoy the game and play freely."

His 183-run partnership with Dhawan ensured a comfortable nine-wicket win for India - their first in a bilateral ODI series in England since 1990. That memories of the recent Test humiliation faded was clear from the smiles on Indian faces. Rahane himself had previously said that the entire team was hurting after losing the Tests 1-3. "We were really hurt after what happened in the Test series but we knew that we have to move on. We helped each other in getting over the hurt and to channel our focus on the ODI series," he had said earlier.

After the win at Edgbaston though, Rahane would look for a more permanent place in the ODI squad, especially with the 2015 World Cup round the corner.