India ended the first day of the Test match against South Africa in a decent position, thanks to a heroic knock by KL Rahul , emerging as a lone crusader to the audience. Batting at an unfamiliar sixth spot, Rahul scored a crucial unbeaten strike of 70 runs to help India reach 208/8 at stumps after being reduced to 92/4 at one stage.
Rahul’s inclusion in the team itself was a bit of a surprise. Having last played a Test match back in February, he was set to miss out here. But with hot prospect, promising newcomer Yashasvi Jaiswal taking his opening spot after a brilliant debut tour of the West Indies tour , Rahul found himself reconsidering ways how to get into the Test team.
He got his chance as the backup wicketkeeper when Ishan Kishan opted out of the team for personal reasons. So he emerged as the wicketkeeper – batsman for the first time in test cricket. But he stood resilient on the tricky Centurion pitch.
After skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and chose to bat first, India’s top order collapsed with Rohit Sharma and Kohli falling to a fiery spell from pacer Kagiso Rabada. With India reeling at 121/6, Rahul held firm and showed his splendour by adding crucial 84 runs with the tailenders pushing India to a score of 208. Rain brought a premature end to proceedings on day one.
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Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar praised KL Rahul’s performance, claiming that his reincarnation is what fans had been eagerly waiting for since his injury in the IPL .Gavaskar called Rahul’s innings “undroppable” and equated it to a century considering the conditions.
Ex-head Coach Ravi Shastri also lauded Rahul for making batting look easy on a tricky pitch and backed him to score big runs for India in the middle order going forward.
So Rahul’s resilience not only defied the odds stacked against him personally, but also helped India recover from a disastrous position of 92/4 to end the first day with a solid 208/8.
Battling the formidable South African pace attack, Rahul remained composed and aggressive, accompanying the tailenders for the most part of his innings. This was the same ground where he smashed a century during India’s famous win in the 2021 Boxing Day Test match , drawing praise and the title of “crisis man” from Rathoure.
Though the day began well, Rabada’s persistence exposed India’s inexperienced middle order. But Rahul stood unfazed by the mayhem, keeping India firmly in the contest as they ended day one on 208/8.
It was a day that pitted two stars against each other – the rampant Rabada versus the resilient Rahul. Rabada claimed five wickets including big scalps like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. But Rahul remained not out on 70, compiling what Gavaskar felt was like a century given the tough conditions.
Despite a delayed start and early finish due to the weather the pitch promised bounce and support for seam and swing. Interestingly, Rohit Sharma stated before the match that losing the toss may have been a blessing in disguise for India.
The Indian lower order took several body blows in support of Rahul. Shardul Thakur was left nursing a swollen forehead after a nasty Rabada bouncer, while Jasprit Bumrah copped a few on the fingers. Even Rahul took a couple of nasty hits but kept batting on.
Rabada was all over India despite being without his new ball partner Lungi Ngidi. He induced Rohit and Iyer playing risky shots and also accounted for Virat Kohli and R Ashwin resulting in India to lose 3 wickets for just 30 runs after lunch. His five wicket haul took his total tally to his 14th such achievement in Test cricket – the best strike rate for any bowler.
Despite the collapsing wickets, Rahul was largely unperturbed by pace or conditions, dealing respectfully with both. His square cut off Jansen was the shot of the day, while other strokes were played with care and discretion.
So despite India being 8 down, Rahul’s solid knock means they are very much in the game heading into day two. The second day of the test will tell whether India can get the upper hand under his leadership.
