When Ajinkya Rahane walked in at the fall of Murali Vijay's wicket about half-an-hour into the day's final session to join the set Virat Kohli, he may have been overburdened by a weight of expectations.
Rahane is not new to Test cricket. He has worked his way into cementing his place in the Test 11 with consistent performances in all conditions and not just at home. His consistency has fetched him a career average of 47.33 before the start of this Bangladesh Test. His average will only get better, for he is unbeaten on 45 and has settled down to score more.
Rahane could not have asked for a better venue than Hyderabad to not only get back to form but also ease himself off the weight of expectations after taking his place at No. 5 and pushing out Karun Nair, who scored 303* at the same position the last time India batted.
The social media was feeling sorry for the Karnataka youngster making way for Rahane, with tweets pouring in about how there was no place in the 11 for him despite scoring a triple century. Statisticians dug out the previous instances when a Test batsman did not figure in the 11 after a triple ton the previous game and discovered that Englishmen Andy Sandham and Len Hutton, and Pakistani Inzamam-ul-Haq went the similar way.
People even started the countdown to 300 when Rahane was off the mark and got the scoreboard ticking.
But Rahane doesn't have to pay heed to anyone else than his captain and team management, who have backed him to the hilt. More so Kohli, who went to the extent of saying on the match eve, "One game doesn't overshadow two years of hard work from another player. You have to understand what Jinks has done for the team over the last two years. He averages almost 50 in the last two years and is probably the most solid batsman in the team in the Test format. We will look at him from that point of view. Karun was stepping into his shoes. What he did was remarkable. Sealing a spot as far as the squad is concerned. But you can't overlook two years of hard work from Ajinkya with just one Test match. He deserves to walk back into the team whenever he is fit."
And so, Rahane did walk back in style. He also eased himself into scoring big after not getting the desired runs in the three Tests against England before missing out on the last two with a finger injury.
Rahane also gained in confidence with Kohli at the other end, a pat on the back from the skipper only encouraging him further. Driving on the up, cutting and pulling without discomfort, Rahane was back to his hey days.
His teammate and centurion on Thursday, opener Murali Vijay, said: "Maybe Rahane will score a hundred and he will be able to answer that question better," to a question on how Rahane was coping with this kind of pressure that he has been put in.
Vijay added: "One good thing about the team is everybody is eager to play and at the same time everyone knows what his role is. We respect each other's company. Rahane is a very good Test player with an average of above 47. Karun Nair got an unbelievable knock in Chennai and is waiting in the wings. It's a healthy competition for Team India to have."
On helpful conditions, India have not wasted the chance to score big. Having reached 356/3 on Thursday and with more runs on offer, it is the perfect opportunity for Rahane to show that he had the right to walk back into the Test 11 as he was out of it not on form but because of injury. A perfect way would be to score another 258 when he walks out to bat on Friday.
Also, he is due for a Test double century, having come so close against New Zealand in Indore seven Test innings earlier.
Now is the time.
