Membership in this club isn’t easily earned. In fact, across nine decades of Tamil Nadu cricket, only three men had managed to gain entry. On Thursday, S. Ajith Ram became only the fourth, joining the illustrious trio of A.G. Ram Singh, B.C. Alva and S. Vasudevan after scoring a century and claiming five or more wickets in an innings in the same First Class match.

But for the left-arm spinner, who had suffered complete tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his right knee, the achievement was particularly special. Ajith struck an unbeaten 115, his maiden century, before claiming seven wickets in the second innings as Tamil Nadu crushed Chandigarh by an innings and 260 runs in its Ranji Trophy Elite Group D clash.

“Honestly, it was a dream game. I never expected a performance like this. A year ago, my injury was so serious that I wasn’t even sure whether I would ever play cricket again,” Ajith told The Hindu. “I am thankful to God for giving me the strength to return. Everything just happened in a flow, and I was enjoying myself,” he added.

Ajith also mentioned he hadn’t allowed the prospect of a maiden century to distract him. “Even when I was in the 90s, I wasn’t thinking about the hundred. I wasn’t looking at the scoreboard. It was a new experience for me. I just went with the flow,” he said. “Teams that have won the Ranji Trophy have always had contributions from their lower-order. I wanted to improve my batting and contribute to Tamil Nadu’s success,” For someone who once wondered whether he would play again, a place alongside three stalwarts is some way to announce a return.