The star wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul left everyone awestruck with his sensational batting in the ongoing first Test of the two-match series against South Africa. KL Rahul scored a remarkable and iconic century against the Proteas pace attack when the other Indian batters were struggling for their survival in the middle.
The 31-year-old scored very crucial and brilliant 101 runs off 137 balls, hitting 14 fours and 4 sixes with the bat. He also stitched two important partnerships for Team India; first, he added 43 runs with Shardul Thakur for the seventh wicket; later, he stitched a defining partnership of 47 runs for the ninth wicket with the lower-order batter Mohammed Siraj.
On the back of KL Rahul’s century, India managed to post a respectable total of 245 runs in the first innings on the bouncy and tricky surface of the SuperSport in Centurion.
Apart from KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer also contributed with 38 and 31 runs, respectively. Besides these, Shardul Thakur also came up with an important cameo of 24 runs to India’s fight against the fiery Proteas pace attack in the first innings of the game.
KL Rahul achieves remarkable milestone with century in 1st Test
Notably, it was the second successive century for KL Rahul in Centurion; he also became the first-ever away batter to score two centuries in Centurion. He scored his 8th Test century.
Speaking of the action of the match, the star pacer Kagiso Rabada claimed a five-wicket haul, scalping 5 wickets at the cost of just 59 runs; other than him, the young debutant Nandre Burger also picked 3 wickets, alongside one wicket each picked by Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee.
In reply to India’s first innings, South Africa scored 33 runs for the loss of one wicket as the star opener Aiden Markram fell prey to Mohammed Siraj in the fourth over of SA’s first innings.
Here’s how fans reacted to the remarkable century scored by KL Rahul:
He created history and well played champ
— Hassan. (@Heyitshassan) December 27, 2023
Brilliant century at Centurion 🔥🙌
— Sankott (@Iamsankot) December 27, 2023
KL Rahul showed his class, going to South Africa and scoring a century is not a common thing, KL Rahul played very well.
— Vishal Kumar (@vishalkumar9000) December 27, 2023
KL RAHUL, THE MAN ON A MISSION.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 27, 2023
- He has played one of the greatest hundred ever in Indian Test history. 🫡pic.twitter.com/YtWYxV6W0D
KL Rahul has done it many times for India. Somehow he does not get the credit he deserves. He has given away his opening slot and also agreed to keep wickets in test matches. A selfless player just like Rahul Dravid.
— Drinks Break (@DrinksBreak19) December 27, 2023
Grit, determination and ability to take risks at the right moment has been the key in this innings.
— Extraa Cover (@ExtraaaCover) December 27, 2023
Very well deserved, well Played KL Rahul pic.twitter.com/08JZZD1CHN
Its a good knock in deep pressure #INDvsSA
— Aryan (@chinchat09) December 27, 2023
His batting position is the key and utilised it properly !! #KLRahul #INDvsSA
— Aryan (@chinchat09) December 27, 2023