PHOTO: Ajinkya Rahane used Rahul Dravid-signed bat in Rising Pune Supergiants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2016 match

Ajinkya Rahane’s approach to the game and his style of play has been compared to Indian great Rahul Dravid since forever now. Rahane who played along with Dravid for Indian Premier League’s Rajasthan Royals idolises him is also a known fact. In a game between Rising Pune Supergiants and Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2016 on Saturday, the TV cameras caught a very special thing about Rahane’s bat—it had Dravid’s signature on it and that showed the immense respect the Mumbai cricketer has for Dravid. The picture went viral on social media as Dravid and Rahane are one of the few Indian cricketers who have the hatters’ list short. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD, Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rising Pune Supergiants, IPL 2016, Match 35 at Bangalore

Batting first, RPS posted 191 where the majority of the runs came off Rahane’s Dravid-signed bat as the opener top-scored with 74 off 48. His innings was inclusive of eight boundaries and two sixes. He had Saurabh Tiwary on the other end, who brought up a second half-century in this ninth edition of IPL. However, a second ton from the in-form RCB skipper, Virat Kohli, spoilt Rahane’s party as Kohli helped his side chase down the target with three balls to spare. Until IPL 2016, Kohli was yet deprived of a ton in the shortest format of the sport and now he became the only second player to have two tons in IPL after Sunrisers Hyderabad’s skipper, David Warner.

Add Cricket Country as a Preferred Source

On the same occasion, Kohli went past another record of Sachin Tendulkar. Kohli has more than 500 runs (as team’s captain) in different IPL seasons. Tendulkar had scored 618 and 553 runs as Mumbai Indians captain in the 2011 and 2012 IPL seasons respectively. Kohli, now has three IPL seasons in his kitty where he has scored runs in excess of 500 as captain of his side.