Rachin Ravindra's century in the first Test against India was hailed as one of the most attractive shots played in India by none other than the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. The former India captain was overwhelmed by the batting mastery displayed by Ravindra at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday.

“What a hundred that was from Rachin Ravindra. The most attractive hundred I have seen in India recently. Equally comfortable against speed and spin. The footwork he showed was just great,” Gavaskar said on air.

Former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar also welcomed Ravindra's knock. He found similarities with Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in Ravindra's batting technique. “A little Rahul, a little Sachin in this Rachin innings,” he tweeted.

A Rachin Ravindra Masterclass in Bengaluru

Rachin Ravindra scored a wonderful unbeaten hundred to withstand a spirited Indian bowling attack led by Ravindra Jadeja as New Zealand took complete control of the series opener.

New Zealand started the day at 180 for three and lost wickets regularly in the first hour to raise visions of a collapse before Ravindra rescued them with a stunning knock. Ravindra, whose family roots lie in Bengaluru, focused on protecting his wicket as the bowlers raged, but opened up to show his full range when the pitch settled down.

The left-hander showed the right way to play spinner on this track, either staying on the front foot or fluttering down the pitch, which negated the spin and also took the leg out of the equation before the dismissal.

A thunderous six from Jadeja took him to 94 and he reached 98 by sending the next ball through the cover to the fence. There were no nerves as Ravichandran Ashwin cruised to his second Test hundred with a clean four, which he celebrated with enthusiasm.

Southee, who hit a few of his trademark sixes, kept Ravindra well company as New Zealand quickly raced away to take command. Earlier, pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj had put up a better line and length in the first hour of the day than the previous day and they were rewarded with a wicket each. Daryl Mitchell, night 14, was the first to leave and hit Siraj straight to the Yashasvi Jaiswal near the gorge.

Bumrah was soon in charge of Tom Blundell, who spearheaded an away toss against KL Rahul in the second over as the Kiwis lost two wickets within 11 runs.

Jadeja, who enjoys challenging incoming batsmen, jumped in at the right time and the pace at which he bowled was good enough to keep the batsmen in doubt on a slightly two-tiered pitch. The firing of Glenn Phillips was a telling example. The right-hander can do serious damage if he stays in the crease for long periods of time and his massive straight six against Kuldeep Yadav looked ominous.

But Jadeja often kept Phillips on the backfoot and eventually managed to break through his defense with a quick, fuller strike that came with his arm. Jadeja soon added the kitty to the wicket of Matt Henry as the batsman failed to connect a move and the ball rearranged his stumps. But New Zealand had their own Ravindra to give them support amid the barrage of wickets at the other end.