When India left for England this summer, the expectations were pretty high from the young side.

For the fans, it was all about revenge for the 2011 whitewash, but for the experts and the BCCI, it was about the strides the next generation could make.

Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara were touted to be the stars of the tour, but neither made a real impact in the UK and Kohli's Test performances were a huge disappointment 

The Test series had very few positives from an Indian perspective but Ajinkya Rahane was one of them.

Not only did he make a century on his second appearance for his country, he made it at Lord’s, something that every batsman dreams of.

“That Lord’s Test century will always remain special to me. It is something that I will look back and always cherish,” said Ajinkya Rahane on the sidelines of a promotional event.

“Rahul Dravid’s presence before the series was a great help. And personally, I idolise both, Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, and that is what kept me going in England.

"Personally, winning the ODI series after what happened in the Tests was a very good feeling. Especially, performing in both of the formats gave me a lot of confidence."

On his overall performance in the ODI series, Rahane added: “It was my maiden century [in Birmingham]. Getting out in 40s before that really hurt, but I stayed focused and it came good.”