KL Rahul helped India get off to a good start on Day 1 of the first Test against South Africa in Centurion. The lead-off hitter shared a brilliant 117-run opening partnership with Mayank Agarwal in difficult batting conditions to put the visitors in commanding position after the end of the opening day’s first two sessions after captain Virat Kohli chose to bat first to win of the toss. Rahul showed great discipline and technique to counter the threat of South African pacesetters like Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi.
While Mayank took off after the early days where both batters respected the new ball and bowlers, Rahul took his own time to get going. However, he was quick to punish loose deliveries and those who threw at the bat.
Mayank and Cheteshwar Pujara took off in successive deliveries to Lungi Ngidi, but Rahul held up his end and reached his half-century, then batted with great composure next to Captain Virat Kohli to bring India to tea at 157/2, with his personal score up 68.
This is a great start for a batter who struggled on his last tour to South Africa. Rahul was able to score just 30 runs in 4 innings in 2018 with a dismal 7.5 average and a highest score of 16.
Given the added responsibility of being the vice-captain on the Test tour, in the absence of the injured Rohit Sharma, Rahul took the opportunity to deliver a significant blow to the team.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar, who has worked closely with Rahul in the past, paid a rich tribute to the batsman during a speech on Star Sports presenter during the tea time show.
“Stunning batsmanship and he has put everything into it. He gets behind the ball wonderfully well and also plays with soft hands, letting the ball come to him all the time and this has been the hallmark of his innings.”
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“Getting on the bounce, finding the right holes, timing the ball right. All the things you want a batsman to do, he does it to perfection and it’s because of his effort and his patience and along with that the collaboration that he With Mayank Agarwal, India is now in a good place,” said Bangar when asked to speak about Rahul’s innings.
India wants to win their first test series on South African soil. They have lost all series except 2010’s which ended in a 1-1 draw.
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