At the first mention of India's tour of Australia, fans and pundits were looking forward to the four-match Test series that clearly stood out for the challenge it posed for the tourists. 

While there was a lot of talk surrounding Indian cricket's bigwigs like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, no one could have possibly imagined that it would be Ajinkya Rahane who'll hog the limelight.

© AP

But, contrary to popular perception, Rahane shut the naysayers, not only with his impeccable leadership skills, but also with a fine batting performance. It all began on Day 1 where a pragmatic Rahane set the right field and shuffled his bowlers like a shrewd tactician to eventually bundle the hosts out for 195 runs.

In reply, India found themselves in a spot of bother after losing five wickets for 173 runs but Rahane, leading from the front, came to his team's rescue after notching up his 12th Test hundred. 

The Indian captain also stitched a game-changing partnership of 121 runs with Ravindra Jadeja (57) for the sixth wicket.

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