Rajkot, Jan. 15 -- Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri and Ian Smith heaped praise on India's star batter KL Rahul after he slammed his 8th ODI ton against New Zealand in the second ODI on Wednesday.

Shastri praised Rahul's incredible innings, saying he deserves full credit for turning things around for India after coming to bat at 118/4, with the pitch slowing down and the ball getting softer, but he and Ravindra Jadeja built a crucial partnership from scratch.

"When he came, it wasn't easy. To do it the way he did, I think full credit. He came at number five today, but India were 118 for four at one stage when Virat got out. The pitch had slowed up a bit. The ball was a little older and softer, and two newcomers had come to the crea...