KL Rahul created and joined a spate of records with his century on Wednesday in Centurion. But nothing would hold more importance than the fact that he pulled India out of trouble on Day 1 and then helped post a formidable total.
Rahul took India from 121/6 to 245 with his knock of 101 runs in 137 balls. He cracked 14 fours and 4 sixes in his brilliant, almost chanceless innings.
India’s first innings total of 245 is a good one on the treacherous, spicy, green-ish pitch at the SuperSport Park. Commentators Shaun Pollock and Sanjay Manjrekar felt if India bowled even a bit more decently than South Africa did, then this total could prove to be a significant one.
All thanks to KL Rahul, who recorded his second Test hundred at Centurion in consecutive matches. On the 2021/22 tour, his hundred helped India win the match.
India started Day 2 at 208/8. With only tailenders at the other end, Rahul freed up his arms and took on the South African pacers, quickly collecting whatever more runs he could manage and reaching a superb, memorable century. That 6 out of his 8 Test centuries have come outside Asia speaks volumes of his class and temperament.
A century that KL Rahul will be extremely proud of: Harsha Bhogle
Commentator Harsha Bhogle wrote a praiseful tweet for Rahul. Following the game from Australia, where he is commentating on the AUS vs PAK MCG Test, Bhogle hailed Rahul as a “very rare talent”, talking about the difficult times he’s gone through this year – with injuries and being dropped from the Test side at the start of the year.
Bhogle tweeted: “A century that KL Rahul will be extremely proud of. Everyone goes through ups and downs but this young man, as some of us have been saying for a while, is a very rare talent.”
Check out Bhogle’s tweet on Rahul:
A century that KL Rahul will be extremely proud of. Everyone goes through ups and downs but this young man, as some of us have been saying for a while, is a very rare talent.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 27, 2023
Rahul is only the second Asian designated wicket-keeper ever – after Rishabh Pant in 2022 in Cape Town – to notch up a Test century in South Africa.
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