Rahane, the contemporary conventional

When Ajinkya Rahane was joined by Rohit Sharma for the fourth wicket at the P Sara Oval late on Sunday morning, the symbolism was richer and spicier than a full-on Sri Lankan breakfast.

The man comfortable at No. 5, now sent to stabilise India's very shaky No. 3 deck, was batting alongside the man who had made No. 3 shaky in the first place.

Rahane and Rohit are Mumbai boys and equally watchable batsmen, but with a vast separation in their Test-match accomplishments. They come from the city's suburbs separated in their geography by two parallel, heaving railways lines. Rohit is from the Western line, more affluent, more hip, more Bollywood. Rahane, grounded, regular, industrious, is a Central man. Much like he is with the Indian batting line-up these days.

Like that aforementioned breakfast, all very tasty.

Rahane's shift from No. 5, the second-new-ball link man position, to No. 3, a spot usually reserved for the best batsman in the line-up, was treated as his punishment posting. Depending on your point of view, Rohit was either being given unnecessary, undeserved special protection by being pushed down to No. 5. Or, he was being retained in the XI in the only way he could because he was wanted - by being taken away from the No. 3 hot seat.

Through the tumult of the argument which ran at perpetual high-heat, Rahane ended up doing what he does: the job.

His century on a golden Sunday at the P Sara Oval - awash with the emotion of Kumar Sangakkara's final Test innings - has formed the spine of the Indian second innings. It was his fourth Test ton for India in his first Test at one-down. It has helped India set a target large enough to give their bowlers the best chance of levelling the series.

When the innings began on a cloudy Saturday afternoon, India were in hot water. KL Rahul was gone in the first over and M Vijay, back from injury, had had zip in the first innings. Rahane himself had fallen for far too few in the first innings, playing away from his body to Dhammika Prasad. His initial play in the second innings had been careful, and he was the more assured of the two batsmen.

Rahane bats No. 3 for Mumbai and, after his first-innings dismissal, had been told both by batting coach Sanjay Bangar and team director Ravi Shastri to take his time, play close to his body and build the partnerships. The first 50 runs with Vijay came off 112 balls on Saturday evening; by the time Vijay departed they had put up 140 together in 44 overs, scoring the last 70 at close to five an over in the first session on Sunday.

Rahane pulled out his repertoire against the spinners. He reverse-swept Kaushal to get to a fifty. Previously, he'd swept Herath, producing a delicate beauty of a boundary, and also stepped down the track to hit one inside out over extra cover.

Disregard the debate about whether Rahane was sacrificed and Rohit indulged. Their fourth-wicket stand helped pick up the pace of the Indian innings after Rahane had got past his personal struggle with the weather and his century. There had been a point early in the second session, Rahane said, when he felt sapped by the heat. At every break he could get, he would take his time, taking off his helmet and gloves, pull a piece of cloth out of his pocket and wipe his face.

He arrived at the media briefing looking more gaunt than lean. "It was hot out there and it was very challenging to focus on that moment," Rahane said. "When I was batting on 82… after lunch, my plan was to just take a single and go to other end." What he eventually wanted to do, Rahane said, was "to play a long innings because in cricket [if you lose] one wicket and anything can happen". From 29 runs in the first 10.3 overs after lunch, Rahane and Rohit ramped it up to 56 off the next 12. Overall, they put together 85 in 22 overs.

What Rahane brings to the crease is reassurance at a time when reassurance is being sought over fireworks or entertainment. It is not that Rahane cannot entertain; just that he does not have the trappings normally associated with attacking batsmanship. He looks old-fashioned in his whites, long sleeves rolled up to the elbows while fielding like they did in the sixties, no tattoos to be seen. The only flash contained in the Rahane persona, outside some of his shot-making, comes from the orange soles of his shoes as he sprints up and down the pitch.

At his best, Rahane's batting is like a high-value chronometer, working parts moving in smooth synchronisation, looking good and delivering efficiency. Yet he fits smoothly into this age of GPS, with the ability to switch gears, up the strike rate and do so with strokeplay that belongs to a category called the contemporary conventional. A batting position is a reflection of authority and adaptability over one's game and the regularity of their turnover of runs at that spot. By those counts, Ajinkya Rahane has done enough to rise up the order.