Ajinkya Rahane once again divided opinion with his batting on Thursday. But unlike most of the last 12 months, this time he did so by scoring a brilliant hundred for Mumbai on the opening day of Ranji Trophy 2021-22 against Saurashtra.The former India vice-captain reached the elusive three-figure mark off 211 balls, against a bowling attack comprising the defending champions' skipper Jaydev Unadakat, Chetan Sakariya and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, among others.Slotted at No.4 in the batting order, he came to the crease when Mumbai were in a spot of bother at 22-2 after just 7.1 overs. The scoreboard soon read 44-3, bringing Sarfaraz Khan to the crease alongside the senior cricketer. The duo struck together a 175-run partnership, taking Mumbai to 219-3 in the third session.Rahane was assertive with his running between the wickets and took on the bowlers when necessary, hitting 14 fours and two sixes in the process. The 33-year-old has been under immense pressure for his dipping international returns since early 2021. He might just have given a new life to his career with this ton.Reacting to the innings, some fans on Twitter saw the innings as the start of a "redemption," some felt that one good domestic knock wasn't enough to feature in the upcoming Sri Lanka's tour of India, while others just had their fun bringing up Cheteshwar Pujara (who's in the Saurashtra team) and Virat Kohli.The following are the best of the lot:KolkataKnightRiders@KKRiders𝘌𝘬𝘥𝘶𝘮 𝘬𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘬 from our Knight @ajinkyarahane88 #SAUvMUM #CricketTwitter twitter.com/KKRiders/statu…KolkataKnightRiders@KKRiders𝘈𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘪 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘶! @ajinkyarahane88 opening the #RanjiTrophy2022 season with a fine half-century! #SAUvMUM #CricketTwitter4:28 AM · Feb 17, 202238230𝘈𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘪 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘶! @ajinkyarahane88 opening the #RanjiTrophy2022 season with a fine half-century! 💜💛 #SAUvMUM #CricketTwitter https://t.co/m7PRKjvPOy𝘌𝘬𝘥𝘶𝘮 𝘬𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘬 💯 from our Knight 💜@ajinkyarahane88 #SAUvMUM #CricketTwitter twitter.com/KKRiders/statu…Khan ♥ Sahab@PathanSahab78@KKRiders @ajinkyarahane884:34 AM · Feb 17, 20221@KKRiders @ajinkyarahane88 https://t.co/PO9ueFSux5Chandan Sinha@Chandan99494482Ajinkya Rahane has fixed his place in test series against SriLanka by hitting a hundred in Ranji Trophy . Now its Cheteshwar Pujara time to save his test career. Lets see what he does.#AjinkyaRahane #cheteshwarpujara #RanjiTrophy2022 #INDvWI4:41 AM · Feb 17, 2022Ajinkya Rahane has fixed his place in test series against SriLanka by hitting a hundred in Ranji Trophy . Now its Cheteshwar Pujara time to save his test career. Lets see what he does.#AjinkyaRahane #cheteshwarpujara #RanjiTrophy2022 #INDvWI https://t.co/uc6aAOTtBlSamip Rajguru@samiprajguruRahane is Back in Red Ball…get his century…good signs @ajinkyarahane88 Vs Saurashtra4:35 AM · Feb 17, 2022671Rahane is Back in Red Ball…get his century…good signs @ajinkyarahane88 Vs SaurashtraAyan@ayan_acharya13Ajinkya Rahane gets to a 100. Has played a total of two false shots in the day so far. Authoritative in strokeplay and running between wickets. Got to 99 with a six off Jadeja. #RanjiTrophy @sportstarweb3:53 AM · Feb 17, 2022669Ajinkya Rahane gets to a 100. Has played a total of two false shots in the day so far. Authoritative in strokeplay and running between wickets. Got to 99 with a six off Jadeja. #RanjiTrophy @sportstarweb https://t.co/LbKkCd3RtqJaanvi🏏@ThatCric8GirlRahane has got a hundred. Get ready for his comeback! #RanjiTrophy3:59 AM · Feb 17, 2022493Rahane has got a hundred. Get ready for his comeback! 😭😭#RanjiTrophyAshwini/ಅಶ್ವಿನಿ🇮🇳@AshuCric07Finally jinx broken, Ajinkya Rahane scored a Ton against Saurashtra . He is not over yet.#RanjiTrophy3:58 AM · Feb 17, 202252Finally jinx broken, Ajinkya Rahane scored a Ton against Saurashtra 🔥. He is not over yet.#RanjiTrophyMufaddal Vohra@mufaddal_vohraAjinkya Rahane scores a fantastic hundred in 211 balls. A top class innings by Rahane, he's proving his capabilities in the Ranji Trophy. 14 fours and 2 sixes in the knock for him.3:54 AM · Feb 17, 20221285106Ajinkya Rahane scores a fantastic hundred in 211 balls. A top class innings by Rahane, he's proving his capabilities in the Ranji Trophy. 14 fours and 2 sixes in the knock for him.Ashutosh Mittal@IAshutoshMittalRahane wishing ABD birthday by smashing bowlers round the ground 360°2:58 AM · Feb 17, 20228Rahane wishing ABD birthday by smashing bowlers round the ground 360° https://t.co/fYf3xkWncpRohit Sankar@imRohit_SNAjinkya Rahane holds on to his Test spot then? Hundred from No.4 in the Ranji Trophy.#RanjiTrophy20223:56 AM · Feb 17, 2022232Ajinkya Rahane holds on to his Test spot then? Hundred from No.4 in the Ranji Trophy.#RanjiTrophy2022Navneet Mundhra@navneet_mundhraSeasoned Rahane and young Dhull smash hundreds in Ranji Trophy. Both trying to secure their place in the Test team. Rahane's future hanging in balance, Dhull's future is in the offing. #RanjiTrophy4:16 AM · Feb 17, 2022Seasoned Rahane and young Dhull smash hundreds in Ranji Trophy. Both trying to secure their place in the Test team. Rahane's future hanging in balance, Dhull's future is in the offing. #RanjiTrophySrinivasan@RAshwinFanClubAjinkya Rahane has hit 100 in today's Ranji match against Saurashtra. Shreyas Iyer & Vihari Fans, how are you feeling ? Will Rahane take his place back for Sri Lanka test series or will Shreyas or Vihari get their chance ? Also will Pujara score 100 ? #RanjiTrophy2022 #Rahane3:54 AM · Feb 17, 2022102Ajinkya Rahane has hit 100 in today's Ranji match against Saurashtra. Shreyas Iyer & Vihari Fans, how are you feeling ? Will Rahane take his place back for Sri Lanka test series or will Shreyas or Vihari get their chance ? Also will Pujara score 100 ? #RanjiTrophy2022 #RahaneDr Sagar Garg@DrGumsNProbesImportance of Rahane & Pujara playing Ranji at this stage lies with young guys benefiting from their experienceIt can't be an attempt to resurrect their int'l careers.4:24 AM · Feb 17, 20222Importance of Rahane & Pujara playing Ranji at this stage lies with young guys benefiting from their experienceIt can't be an attempt to resurrect their int'l careers.Parv Malhotra@parv_malhotraRun from it, hide from it, destiny still arrives. It's rahane Saab era and we are just living in it. #RanjiTrophy #CricketTwitter4:16 AM · Feb 17, 2022Run from it, hide from it, destiny still arrives. It's rahane Saab era and we are just living in it. #RanjiTrophy #CricketTwitter https://t.co/sGFiYq4oDSChandan@Chandan3#Rahane is supposed to score heaps of runs in #Ranji to win the faith of selectors back and has started well, with a ton. All the best. twitter.com/BCCIdomestic/s…BCCI Domestic@BCCIdomesticAjinkya Rahane 100 runs in 211 balls (14x4, 2x6) Mumbai 219/3 #SAUvMUM #RanjiTrophy Scorecard:bcci.tv/domestic/ranji…4:10 AM · Feb 17, 20228720Ajinkya Rahane 100 runs in 211 balls (14x4, 2x6) Mumbai 219/3 #SAUvMUM #RanjiTrophy Scorecard:bcci.tv/domestic/ranji…#Rahane is supposed to score heaps of runs in #Ranji to win the faith of selectors back and has started well, with a ton. All the best. twitter.com/BCCIdomestic/s…Johns.@CricCrazyJohnsHundred for Ajinkya Rahane, 100* from 211 balls including 14 fours and 2 sixes against Saurashtra, he was under lots of pressure and delivered at the right time for Mumbai.3:54 AM · Feb 17, 202298779Hundred for Ajinkya Rahane, 100* from 211 balls including 14 fours and 2 sixes against Saurashtra, he was under lots of pressure and delivered at the right time for Mumbai.asdf@Saniul_@CricCrazyJohns Hopefully he isn't called up for the SL test matches, and allowed to play all 3 Ranji games. That would definitely be better for his career going fwd.3:56 AM · Feb 17, 20229@CricCrazyJohns Hopefully he isn't called up for the SL test matches, and allowed to play all 3 Ranji games. That would definitely be better for his career going fwd.That Bullish Guy🙋🏻‍♂️@i_Prathit@CricCrazyJohns That's what happens when you become a part of the elite KKR club Well played, Jinks4:02 AM · Feb 17, 20221@CricCrazyJohns That's what happens when you become a part of the elite KKR club 💜👍✌Well played, Jinks🔥👏Bharat Goyal 🇮🇳@ibharatgoyalI still believe Ajinkya Rahane has a lot of cricket left in him. He looks excellent while batting, while Pujara has been looking bad. That's the difference between the two, and of course, Rahane has a lot more shots to offer.#Cricket #RanjiTrophy4:06 AM · Feb 17, 20221I still believe Ajinkya Rahane has a lot of cricket left in him. He looks excellent while batting, while Pujara has been looking bad. That's the difference between the two, and of course, Rahane has a lot more shots to offer.#Cricket #RanjiTrophy°@anubhav__tweetsAjinkya Rahane Redemption starts today. #RanjiTrophy20223:59 AM · Feb 17, 20227Ajinkya Rahane Redemption starts today. #RanjiTrophy2022 https://t.co/szL5ehK43UHarshdeep Singh@_harshdeepWow, Century for @ajinkyarahane88 in the 1st #RanjiTrophy match of the season. Making a statement and how. #MumvSau4:03 AM · Feb 17, 20221Wow, Century for @ajinkyarahane88 in the 1st #RanjiTrophy match of the season. Making a statement and how. #MumvSauAshish Magotra@clutchplay#MUMvSAU A century for Rahane. 101 off 215 balls. A bit of a grind and no real fluency there but it doesn't look like batting was easy.4:03 AM · Feb 17, 202211#MUMvSAU A century for Rahane. 101 off 215 balls. A bit of a grind and no real fluency there but it doesn't look like batting was easy.Bunty 🇮🇳🚩@Bunty2134Boss is ready to make a solid debut for KKRKing Ajinkya Rahane Form is temporary, Class is permanent twitter.com/mufaddal_vohra…Mufaddal Vohra@mufaddal_vohraAjinkya Rahane scores a fantastic hundred in 211 balls. A top class innings by Rahane, he's proving his capabilities in the Ranji Trophy. 14 fours and 2 sixes in the knock for him.4:02 AM · Feb 17, 202210127Ajinkya Rahane scores a fantastic hundred in 211 balls. A top class innings by Rahane, he's proving his capabilities in the Ranji Trophy. 14 fours and 2 sixes in the knock for him.Boss is ready to make a solid debut for KKRKing Ajinkya Rahane 🔥Form is temporary, Class is permanent twitter.com/mufaddal_vohra…Hemant@Sportscasmm#Kohli #YashDhull #RanjiTrophy #INDvWI Jabh Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane, yahatak ki Yash Dhull bhi 100 banale lekin aap abhi tak 70 century pe atke ho:4:21 AM · Feb 17, 202221#Kohli #YashDhull #RanjiTrophy #INDvWI Jabh Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane, yahatak ki Yash Dhull bhi 100 banale lekin aap abhi tak 70 century pe atke ho: https://t.co/LJ7DYEXpJuayaan.@AyanMuskIf Ranji century is the parameter and Rahane deserves a place based on that then Manish Anna deseveres a place in test team even more for his mad century today. twitter.com/imRohit_SN/sta…Rohit Sankar@imRohit_SNWould you pick Ajinkya Rahane in the Test squad for the home series vs SL?#NDvSL4:22 AM · Feb 17, 202211Would you pick Ajinkya Rahane in the Test squad for the home series vs SL?#NDvSLIf Ranji century is the parameter and Rahane deserves a place based on that then Manish Anna deseveres a place in test team even more for his mad century today. twitter.com/imRohit_SN/sta…AN@ajith27Pujara is standing at slips wondering why is Jinx in a hurry twitter.com/bccidomestic/s…BCCI Domestic@BCCIdomesticAjinkya Rahane 100 runs in 211 balls (14x4, 2x6) Mumbai 219/3 #SAUvMUM #RanjiTrophy Scorecard:bcci.tv/domestic/ranji…4:06 AM · Feb 17, 20229020Ajinkya Rahane 100 runs in 211 balls (14x4, 2x6) Mumbai 219/3 #SAUvMUM #RanjiTrophy Scorecard:bcci.tv/domestic/ranji…Pujara is standing at slips wondering why is Jinx in a hurry twitter.com/bccidomestic/s…Siddhant@CricSiddBola tha Rahane , Pujara aren't going anywhere Naa hi They will retire , Naa hi They are getting droppedBoth will play 100 / 100+ tests #RanjiTrophy twitter.com/CricSidd/statu…Siddhant@CricSiddDon't even feel like saying anything about Rahane & Pujara They are living on borrowed lives & it's evident , but Nobody is getting dropped They will both end up with 100+ Test matches at the end of their careers Just accept it, like I have...#INDvsSA #SAvsIND3:59 AM · Feb 17, 202242Don't even feel like saying anything about Rahane & Pujara They are living on borrowed lives & it's evident , but Nobody is getting dropped They will both end up with 100+ Test matches at the end of their careers Just accept it, like I have...#INDvsSA #SAvsINDBola tha Rahane , Pujara aren't going anywhere Naa hi They will retire , Naa hi They are getting droppedBoth will play 100 / 100+ tests #RanjiTrophy twitter.com/CricSidd/statu…Kaustuv Dwivedi 🇮🇳@dwivedikaustuvRahane's 100 is very very crucial for team India as his form has been the matter of concern for last 3-4 months. May he deliver in international too after this #RanjiTrophy .4:00 AM · Feb 17, 202271Rahane's 100 is very very crucial for team India as his form has been the matter of concern for last 3-4 months. May he deliver in international too after this #RanjiTrophy . https://t.co/zP6H4tzpLBSilly Point@FarziCricketerFull credit to Ajinkya Rahane for his decision to score a hundred.4:03 AM · Feb 17, 202230814Full credit to Ajinkya Rahane for his decision to score a hundred.Tanmay Sharma@Tanmaysh2703Best way to speak is with actions, This is what @ajinkyarahane88 has always done and will continue to do @ayan_acharya13 #RanjiTrophy20224:13 AM · Feb 17, 202241Best way to speak is with actions, This is what @ajinkyarahane88 has always done and will continue to do @ayan_acharya13 #RanjiTrophy2022 https://t.co/MaHbfVUjzFAjinkya Rahane was signed by KKR for ₹2 croreWhether or not he gets selected for the Sri Lanka Tests, which will begin on March 4, Rahane is likely to get some extended game time in IPL 2022.He was signed by two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the recent mega auction for his base price of ₹2 crore and could be seen opening the batting alongside Venkatesh Iyer when the IPL season kicks off in late March.