Ajinkya Rahane loves to hook. He hooked Mitchell Johnson to oblivion in Melbourne in 2014. He is one of the Indian batsmen who likes pace and bounce more than the lack of it. In India, though, pace and bounce are not always true.He was hit on the arm guard and the helmet. His ramp wouldnt connect and he top-edged his hooks. Rahane never looked at ease facing the short ball. Yet he scored 188 after coming in at 100 for 3, adding Indias highest fourth-wicket partnership with Virat Kohli.This hundred is really special because the way I batted yesterday, Rahane said I took my time, and today I dominated. Im glad to have handled that spell yesterday when they were bowling short balls. Even this morning [against the short ball], I think the attitude was important. I will rate this hundred right at the top.When you struggle it is important how much you enjoy that struggle, Rahane said. You wont always have it your way. What is important is to stay at the wicket, stay not out, even if it means you are hit on the helmet, beaten or if you dont look good. As a batsman, it is important to be there to face the next ball. It takes just one ball to get out.I actually enjoyed this innings a lot. This is real Test cricket, when you can score a century even when made to struggle. You cant score all your hundreds in 120 or 130 or 140 balls; sometimes you will have to play more balls, 200 or 230. I enjoyed spending that time a lot.Rahane is not verbally aggressive, but as a Test batsman he has always looked to dominate attacks once he is set. It can be difficult for such batsmen to go through struggling times, but he spoke of not feeling ashamed of these periods.Sometimes in Test cricket, you are not batting in rhythm, Rahane said. But your attitude - how determined you are, your focus levels - matters more, rather than thinking about technique. Many times, a batsman struggles against the short ball or outside the off stump. Then he thinks too much about technique. But I think that its better how you handle yourself mentally in that situation because the situations change. I was struggling, but I think there is no shame in struggling. If you play Test cricket, if you struggle, you should not be ashamed that youre struggling. If youre struggling, fine. But time and situations change, and how you handle them and dominate is important.Having survived the first day, Rahane said he was glad he was being bounced. Today I was happy they were bowling short balls at me, he said. I knew short balls will give me some runs. Thats my shot. Yes I was struggling yesterday but today was a different day. And I was really happy that they came with the short-ball plan against me. Once I got my hundred I knew I wanted to play a long innings. Once Jeetan Patel and Santner were bowling, I wanted to play my normal shots.Rahane attacked the spinners because he wanted New Zealand to bring their fast bowlers back in the heat and humidity. This innings and his partnership of 365 with Kohli has given India a solid chance to push for the series whitewash.When we were batting, we knew there were [rough] spots getting formed for our bowlers, Rahane said. [Ravindra] Jadeja and [R] Ashwin are in good rhythm. So we just wanted to wear the New Zealand team down. Once you are tired there are chances you lose one or two wickets before the end of the day. I think tomorrow will be crucial. There is help for the spinners, but we will have to bowl patiently. The pitch is slightly better for batting, but it will slow down gradually and will help spinners too. Clearance Jordans China . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. 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MIAMI -- The NBA is going to take a look at having more officials on the court.The league said Monday that nine upcoming NBA Development League games will feature four- and five-person crews instead of the customary three, in an effort to collect data and see if having additional officials involved affects the game.All nine games will be hosted by the Long Island Nets at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, home of the NBAs Nets.The first of the trial games is Dec. 26.We are confident in how our three-person system works and are constantly thinking of ways to improve our game, said Bob Delaney, the NBAs Vice President for Referee Operations and Director of Officials. The four- and five-referee initiative is a prime example of that focus and will help the NBA with research and development.Its not the first time the D-League has been a laboratory of sorts for the NBA. The D-League has been a testing ground in the past for possible rules changes, along with changes in technology and equipment. This season, some of the innovations being brought to the D-League include a coachs challenge, a reset timeout and a 3-minute overtime period.Im a little more of the school of thought that the more people that are out there, the less accountability there is, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said, adding that havinng more people on the floor will make the court seem even more crammed.dddddddddddd.Washington coach Scott Brooks said hes never thought of adding more refs, then offered a bit of a comical perspective.Itll just give me a couple extra guys to yell at, Brooks said. Thatll be great. I like it. Im tired of just yelling at three.The experimental crews will have three different configurations.Theres a four-person crew with two officials in lead spots, and two others split between slot and trail positions. Another four-person test will have two officials in the slot, with the others in the trail and lead. And the five-person crew will feature the existing three-person system, but with two other officials in stationary lead positions on opposite ends of the court.The NBA said five games will be devoted to the four-person tests, with the five-person tests being phased in starting Jan. 12. In all, 10 of the D-Leagues teams will be exposed to the larger crews.The NBA went from two-person crews to three-person crews for the 1988-89 season. Theres been talk of larger crews for years, and a four-person crew was studied during summer league play at Salt Lake City back in July. ' ' '