On a spicy Centurion deck, India ended up with 208 for 8 on Day 1 of the first Test against South Africa. KL Rahul was the fulcrum of the visiting side’s batting unit, scoring a fluent unbeaten 70, while Kagiso Rabada bagged a five-for.
India had begun the day on the wrong note, losing their first three wickets for just 24 runs. Rabada, who was returning from a bruised heel, dismissed Rohit Sharma with a short ball. On a deck with spongy bounce, Rohit could have shown a degree of caution. Yashasvi Jaiswal was done in by a fuller length ball, which he edged behind. On the other hand, Shubman Gill got a faint tickle down the leg-side as Kyle Verreynne pouched a simple catch.
It could have been worse for India, but both Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer were dropped once each off Rabada and Nandre Burger. The duo took advantage of those reprieves by essaying flicks and drives. Eventually, after the lunch break, Rabada broke the stand with a scrambled seamer that perhaps stayed a tad low to rattle the timber. Iyer, who is primarily a back foot player, paid the price for hanging back.
By then, a little bit of sun had come out and the track started to play enough tricks. Kohli edged a peach of a delivery from Rabada that nipped away enough, with the wicketkeeper once more grabbing the catch.
Rabada also dislodged Ravi Ashwin. At 121 for 6, Shardul Thakur and Rahul joined forces to string together a key stand of 43. Shardul was dogged in his approach as he took a blow each on the helmet and finger. He also landed some meaty blows before driving one straight to short cover as Rabada completed yet another five-for at Centurion.
By then, Rahul had decided to open his shoulders. He flicked Burger through mid-wicket, followed by a lofted shot that went all the way. Lofts, pulls and the occasional slog continued to flow from his bat before rain stopped play. India will resume Day 2 with Mohammed Siraj and Rahul at the crease.
The salient feature of Rahul’s innings has been his ability to come forward at every given opportunity, alongside pushing back as and when needed. Basically, he has picked the length superbly.
Meanwhile, Rabada was easily South Africa’s best bowler on show. He consistently hit the pitch hard to extract variable bounce and also used the scrambled seam to great effect. Burger, on his Test debut, also showed good attributes. Marco Jansen and Gerlad Coetzee, however, were a touch below-par.
Kagiso Rabada and Nandre Burger shone with the ball for the hosts, while KL Rahul’s pivotal knock ensured that India reached 208-8 before Day 1’s play was called off due to rain.@CricSubhayan reviews Day1 👇@ThumsUpOfficial #SAVIND #KLRahul #KagisoRabada pic.twitter.com/fCBsFSOAh1
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) December 26, 2023