Hundred in first Test special for me, says Ajinkya Rahane

Ahead of the second Test against West Indies, India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane on Thursday said that hundred in the first Test was special for him as it came after the gap of two years.

Rahane played a knock of 81 and 102 against Windies in the first Test and was awarded man of the match.

"It was really special to me. I actually got to know what it takes to get a century after two years. I was working really hard on the batting. I always think about what I can learn from every practice session and game. I was not thinking about the hundred or any milestone," Rahane told reporters.

The 31-year-old hailed Hanuma Vihari with whom he stitched crucial partnerships in both the innings of the first Test. In the first innings, Rahane and Vihari built 82-run stand while in the second innings they stitched a partnership of 135 runs. Vihari amassed 125 runs in that game.

"Vihari did really well. He did well in India 'A' tours and in domestic as well. It is good that a player who actually did well consistently over the period of time in domestic cricket is doing good at the international level. At the same time, Rohit Sharma is also a quality player it's hard to see him missing out on a Test match. It is all on team perspective, what captain and team management thinks about the combination," Rahane said.

When asked about the recent sporting achievements of the country on account of National Sports Day, he replied: "I'm really happy for PV Sindhu and we are really proud of her. All Indians are proud of her. As a sportsperson you learn a lot, you go through patches like failure and success, but sports teaches you a lot about how actually you can approach your life in bad times."

Earlier, India white-washed Windies in the ODI and T20I series and the first Test was also won by the team by 318 runs.

India will face West Indies in the second Test at Sabina Park here in Kingston later today.