Ajinkya Rahane scored the eighth Test hundred of his career and third in India on day two of the third Test against New Zealand in Indore on Sunday. Rahane (124 not out) and Virat Kohli (149 not out) brought up their 250-run partnership as India took lunch at 358/3. The two also upped India's run rate from just under three an over on day one to just over three, with 91 runs being were scored in the session.

New Zealand kept peppering Rahane with short deliveries and employed the leg theory, with three catchers on the leg-side boundary, after the right-hander struggled against such balls on day one. There was a scare when one of Matt Henry's bouncers rapped Rahane bang on the side of the helmet and the knock seemed to have rattled the batsman a bit.

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Rahane's discomfort with the short ball has been surprising since he has played so well overseas, with hundreds in Australia, New Zealand and England. However, the Indore pitch has some variable bounce and that must have kept him guessing. Thus, when he finally brought up his century, he was given a standing ovation by the Indore Sunday crowd, as they would have appreciated his fighting character the best.

Rahane now has Test hundreds in Wellington, Lord's, Melbourne, Colombo, Delhi, Jamaica and Indore, with a couple of nineties in Durban and Dhaka to add. He is clearly India's man for all conditions and seasons. He has also proved that he is the best No. 5 batsman India have had since VVS Laxman, with the ability to bat with both the top and lower orders.

Kohli, on the other hand, was at his disciplined best. After being dismissed swiping a delivery wide outside off stump in the previous Test, the Indian skipper was extremely watchful of any delivery in the same region. He also did not play a single shot in the air in the entire session, while Rahane hit the spinners for two sixes.

The two players have complemented each other beautifully and India look well set to score upwards of 500 in this match.