'It was probably the best I have seen KL Rahul bat' - Rohit Sharma

Day 1 of the second Test between England and India belonged to KL Rahul. The opener fetched himself a remarkable hundred and put India on top at 276-3. Rahul along with Rohit Sharma (83) added 126 for the first wicket to set the platform for a big total. The wicket was helpful and the ball was moving around, but the Indian openers looked assured and displayed great technique.

Rahul played second fiddle to Rohit at the start but took over the charge post Rohit’s departure. Rahul remained unbeaten on 127 at the end of Day 1. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma lauded Rahul and said it is the best he has seen KL Rahul bat.

“It was probably the best I have seen KL bat and he was in control from ball one till we finished the day today. Very much in control,” Rohit said after the day’s play on Thursday.

“At no given point, it looked like he was confused or thinking too much. He was very clear with his plans and when you trust your plans, it definitely works. I thought today was his day and he made it really count,” the senior player said.

Both Rahul and Rohit have shown great grit and determination in the three innings they have played in the series. They added 97 and 37 in Nottingham as well. Rohit said, as openers you need to curb your natural instincts and play for time when the conditions are against you.

“That’s the challenge of Test cricket. You may have lot of shots in your book but when you know that conditions are against you, you have to keep talking to yourself and you have to cut down the shots that are unnecessary specially with the new ball,” Rohit explained.

“Once you play and get the feel of the pitch and conditions, then may be you can try and play some shots. We respect the conditions here and it’s also important to go out and implement plans. That is something us as a batting group have done reasonably well — right from Australia tour to today.”

Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara once again failed to score something substantial and was out for 9. Virat Kohli too was dismissed for 42, throwing away a great opportunity to end his century drought.