On the back of KL Rahul's stupendous display with the bat under challenging conditions and circumstances, India posted a total of 245/10 in the first innings of the first Test against South Africa in Centurion. With India reeling at one stage and staring at a massive hurdle, Rahul showed commendable resilience and temperament before completing his 8th Test century.
In the challenging conditions of the SuperSport Park, KL Rahul's standout performance was a beacon of resilience for India, as he anchored the innings to reach 208/8 before play was halted due to bad light and rain on Day 1. The surface at Centurion, offering substantial bounce and complicating batting efforts, saw wickets tumbling at the other end, but Rahul held firm.
Day 1 began with South Africa's captain, Temba Bavuma, opting to field first after a delay caused by wet patches on the ground. Indian openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma initially found success against Kagiso Rabada, each hitting a boundary. However, Rabada swiftly turned the tables, inducing Rohit into a pull shot that was caught by debutant Nandre Burger at fine leg. Burger continued his impressive start by claiming Jaiswal's wicket, exploiting seam movement to outfox the left-handed batsman. Soon after, Burger also dismissed Shubman Gill, leaving India at a precarious 24/3 in the 12th over.
Despite South Africa's bowling dominance, India found some reprieve through dropped catches, which allowed Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer to mount a counteroffensive. However, Bavuma suffered a hamstring injury, forcing him to leave the field. Kohli and Iyer blended caution with aggression, taking India to 91/3 by the end of the first session.
Post-lunch, Rabada's mastery with the wobble-seam delivery proved too much for Iyer, who was bowled for 31. Kohli, after contributing 38 runs, was soon dismissed by Rabada, caught behind, bringing India's total to a worrying 107/5.
Ravichandran Ashwin offered brief resistance with a couple of boundaries, but Rabada's extra bounce led to Ashwin's dismissal at third slip. India desperately needed a partnership, and Rahul, looking comfortable at the crease, found an ally in Shardul Thakur. Despite sustaining blows to the helmet and arm, Thakur counterattacked before falling to Rabada, completing the latter's five-wicket haul.
In the second session, Rahul's aggressive batting, including a six off Burger, brought up his half-century. Jasprit Bumrah, struggling against the pace attack, fell to Marco Jansen. As inclement weather loomed, Rahul sought more boundaries, remaining unbeaten at 70 off 105 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes, while Mohammed Siraj was yet to score when play was stopped on Day 1.
Day 2 saw Rahul race to his 8th Test century with Siraj holding one end together. Siraj was later dismissed by Coetzee but Prasidh Krishna did his job, kept his wicket intact and allowed Rahul to complete his century.
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