Kerala batter Rohan Kunnummal’s early days in First-Class (FC) cricket were heady ones. His first six innings in the format yielded him four hundreds, including three in a row. It almost looked as if the tons would never stop coming, until they did.

Since his century in the 2022 Duleep Trophy semifinal for South Zone, Rohan had been stuck at four FC hundreds. This was despite him being a regular run-scorer for Kerala throughout.

On Friday, Rohan ended his long, arduous wait with a blistering hundred for Kerala against Goa in a Ranji Trophy group-stage match here.

An air of relief hung over Rohan as he spoke after the second day, which ended with the Kerala opener unbeaten on 132.

“I am feeling delighted. The last few years have been a great learning experience for me. I used to take things for granted as centuries kept coming easily. But I feel grounded now. I understand the value of a century better now,” said Rohan.

The 27-year-old dominated the Goan bowlers with his easy-on-the-eye stroke-making. He attacked the home pacers with his compact drives and clever ramps, while countering the spinners with his nimble footwork. There were no ‘nervous nineties’ for Rohan on Friday as he moved from 90 to 100 in just 13 deliveries.

“From a batter’s perspective, a century is a very big deal as it gives one a lot of satisfaction. Today I took it one ball at a time and went with the flow,” added Rohan.