KL Rahul scored his eighth Test ton and his second Boxing Day Test as he scored 101 off 137 on day 2 of the Centurion Test. India were bowled out for 245 just after KL Rahul brought up his eighth Test ton.
KL Rahul resumed his innings on 70 with India on 208/8 at the start of day 2. He scored a few quick runs and added a 42-run stand with Mohammed Siraj that frustrated the Proteas bowlers.
South Africa‘s stand-in skipper Dean Elgar brought the field up and that was when KL Rahul hit a six to Gerald Coetzee to bring up his century.
He was dismissed in the very next over to Nandre Burger who picked up his third wicket on debut. Meanwhile, Rahul’s ton was celebrated by his wife Athiya Shetty, and his father-in-law Suniel Shetty. Both took to Instagram to post messages as the Indian keeper-batter reached a significant landmark in his career.
Athiya wrote on her Instagram story: “Strength to strength.” Meanwhile, Suniel Shetty shared several heartwarming emojis to express his joy in celebrating Rahul’s century.
Athiya Shetty, Suniel Shetty Celebrate KL Rahul’s Centurion Ton
South Africa lost a wicket early when they started their innings with the bat. Mohammed Siraj dismissed Aiden Markram, who walked out to bat as an opener with their skipper Temba Bavuma injured. Markram fell in the fifth over to Siraj. Dean Elgar then stitched a 93-run stand with Tony de Zorzi (28) before the southpaw fell to Jasprit Bumrah who picked him up in the 29th over of the South African innings.
KS Bharat is the other keeper in the Indian squad. However, Ishan Kishan backing out of the Test series due to mental fatigue and Rishabh Pant still recovering from his accident are the other two main reasons behind the management’s move.
“It’s the overall gambit of skills that he possesses. He’s very good against the new ball, having done that for the majority of his Test career. 25 Test innings as an opener is going to be worth its weight in gold. That will come in handy but that was not the case today,” said Bangar after the first day’s play on KL Rahul.
“Just the fact that he’s been shuffled from number 1 to number 6, it actually helps your understanding of the game as well. When you bat at multiple positions, it makes you a well-rounded player. You understand situations very well. His judgment outside the off stump was impeccable, which helped him construct the innings of this quality,” he further added.
Kagiso Rabada picked up 5/59 which was his maiden fifer against India. Burget’s three-wicket spell was another deciding factor for South Africa with the ball. The rest of the bowlers were not as impactful as the other two. As of now, South Africa have made a sedate start to their batting innings.
Also Read: Neither Virat Kohli, Nor Rohit Sharma!! Players Who Can Win the T20I Cricketer Of The Year Award
