IND vs SA: Watch - KL Rahul Steals A Bye To Leave Gerald Coetzee Fuming At Wicketkeeper

KL Rahul was his exceptional best with the bat in the ongoing first Test against South Africa. The first game of the two-match series between the teams is taking place at the Supersport Park in Centurion. 

The first innings of the game was all about KL Rahul. The keeper-batter was the shining light for his team and it was a one-man show from his end as he played a magnificent innings. This allowed India to have a decent total on the board and end the first innings on high. 

While his class with the bat was unmatched, KL Rahul also displayed a great presence of mind. This was evident during the 66th over of the Indian innings when Gerald Coetzee was bowling and was making an effort to keep Prasidh Krishna on strike. 

During the 3rd ball of the over, Gerald Coetzee bowled a full delivery to Prasidh Krishna but that went down the leg side. Keeper Kyle Verreynne gathered the ball cleanly but didn’t have his eyes on the pitch as he threw the ball to second slip. 

KL Rahul seized the opportunity, sneaked a bye, and took the run quite comfortably. This didn’t go well with pacer Gerald Coetzee as he was fuming at the keeper Kyle Verreynne and gave an angry reaction: 

Here’s the video: 

What is this behaviour KL Rahul ? pic.twitter.com/8472Vu65jB

— Berlin (@BlueandGoldAura) December 27, 2023

Two deliveries later, KL punished South Africa for their slopiness behind the wicket. The keeper-batter slammed a big six on the last ball of the over and brought up his ton. He took 133 balls to get to the milestone. 

This was KL Rahul’s seventh ton in the overseas conditions. He stood tall for India when no one was there. He bailed India out of trouble and made sure that he helped them get over 250 on the board, which at one moment didn’t seem possible at all. 

KL Rahul ended with the knock of 101 runs off 137 balls. He slammed 14 fours and 4 sixes in his innings. His innings helped India post a total of 245 runs on the board. The knock holds significant value because India at one stage were reeling at 107/5 with all the big guns back in the hut. 

IND vs SA: His footwork looked precise and assured – Sachin Tendulkar lauds KL Rahul for his ton 

Batting great Sachin Tendulkar was in awe of KL Rahul’s ton in the ongoing Test against South Africa. The former Indian skipper hailed the keeper-batter’s footwork and highlighted the importance of his knock.  Taking to his X account, he explained: 

“Well played @klrahul. What impressed me was his clarity of thought. His footwork looked precise and assured, and that happens when a batter is thinking right. This century is crucial in the context of this Test. India would be happy with 245 considering where they were at one stage yesterday.” 

Well played @klrahul. What impressed me was his clarity of thought. His footwork looked precise and assured, and that happens when a batter is thinking right. This century is crucial in the context of this Test. India would be happy with 245 considering where they were at one… pic.twitter.com/Dtw9HpjAIC

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 27, 2023

Coming to the match, after India posted a total of 245 runs on the board, they had a decent outing with the ball in the first innings. Mohammed Siraj removed Aiden Markam for 5 runs whereas Jasprit Bumrah on the other end, troubled the batters with his impeccable lines and lengths. 

At Lunch on Day 2, South Africa were 49/1. They are trailing India by 196 runs. With the way things are panning out, it promises to be an exciting second session of the day.