Given his meteoric rise to the world stage, it is surprising Elahi has taken so long to get a decent run in the Pakistan side.
The right-handed opener from Sahiwal in central Punjab got his lucky break without even playing one first-class match.
A stunning hundred before lunch in a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (Grade II) match against Gujranwala followed by an aggregate of 977 runs on the under-19 tour of New Zealand the same year earned him a national call-up.
And he did not disappoint on his international debut in 1995, scoring an unbeaten century in a one-dayer against Sri Lanka.
Despite the bright start, subsequent patchy performances at Test and one-day level led to few appearances for the first team.
However, Elahi took full advantage of his call-up to the squad in November after more than a year out, and after three centuries he is well and truly in.