Batting at no.6 for the first time since 2014 in Test cricket, KL Rahul proved his mettle again. On Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test in Centurion, Rahul stood tall amidst a barrage of short balls from the South African pacer. Rahul batted cautiously but did not refrain from flashing his blade on a delivery that deserved the treatment. One such delivery was bowled by Marco Jansen and Rahul hit it for a maximum over covers. Jansen was not pleased and gave Rahul a mouthful as the latter defended the next ball.
The incident took place in the 45th over of the innings. Shardul Thakur was attacking the pacers. Rahul joined in as well when Jansen provided the width. The ball sailed over the boundary ropes and the advertisement boards. Next ball, Jansen pushed the fuller length to short cover. Jansen in his follow-through gestured him to hit that one as well and had a few words for the wicketkeeper-batter. Rahul smiled at first and then replied to Jansen’s comments. The reaction has gone viral on social media.
While wickets fell on the other end, Rahul decided to attack. He hit the last boundary of the day against Jansen as well. However, he was not in control of the shot as it went past the gully fielder.
Rahul remained unbeaten for 70 taking India’s score to 208/8 before rain and bad light stopped play. He has a chance to become India’s second wicketkeeper-batter to score a Test century on South African soil. The last time Rahul played a Test in Centurion, he scored a century as an opener and India won the first Test of the series by a comfortable margin.
On the other hand, Jansen leaked boundaries on Day 1. He conceded 52 runs from 15 overs. His only wicket on the opening day was Jasprit Bumrah as the tailender went for a wild slog and got bowled. On India’s last tour of South Africa, Jansen had an altercation with Bumrah as well. It may continue when Jansen faces Bumrah at the SuperSport Park in the upcoming days.
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