Ajinkya Rahane’s Top 3 performances in ODI Cricket 

There have been a lot of underrated batters in the Indian team who have contributed a lot in international cricket. We all know that the likes of VVS Laxman and Gautam Gambhir are some prime examples, but the player in the modern age that has given us some great match winning knocks is Ajinkya Rahane. The former India skipper was known for his elegant stroke play and exceptional performances in overseas tours that made him a big name in the team.

Though Rahane has had a great career in the long format, he has started his career in ODI’s and has played some great knocks. The Mumbai batter has risen to the occasion during the crucial moments even in this format. We will be looking into some of his incredible knocks in 50 over cricket that has cemented him as one of the best batters in Indian cricket history.

Here are the Top 3 best performances from Ajinkya Rahane in the One-day format:

3. 79 vs South Africa in 2015

This was the time the Indians were playing the ODI World Cup 2015 as defending champions and they were put against South Africa at the MCG where Ajinkya Rahane formed a great partnership with Shikhar Dhawan and scored 79 of just 60 deliveries against a dangerous South African bowling attack. His innings was equally important in helping the team reach a 300+ total and put the Proteas under pressure.

2. 106 vs England in 2014

It is never easy to beat England in England, especially on a green track in Birmingham. The Indian bowlers had done their job with the ball getting the home team bowled out for just 206. It was still up to the Indian batters to chase down the target. This is where Rahane who was opening the batting with Dhawan scored a remarkable 106 from 100 deliveries that included 10 fours and 4 sixes. This was also against a strong England bowling attack featuring the likes of James Anderson and Steven Finn. This was a great example of why Rahane was a great choice for playing overseas. India even went onto win the game by 9 wickets.

1. 111 vs Sri Lanka in 2014

This was yet another great innings from Rahane while he opened the batting with Dhawan again. This was another one sided thrashing the Sri Lankan experienced as Rahane and Dhawan were making a mockery out of the Lankan Bowling attack. Though Dhawan played a great innings, it was the elegance of Rahane that caught our eye where he scored his 111 runs from 108 deliveries. This also helped the Indian side put up a huge score of 363 and Rahane was one of the best performers of the day who showed that he can still score at a brisk pace without any power hitting shots.