By Neil Manthorp.
KL Rahul completed a magnificent century on the second morning of the first test against South Africa advancing from his overnight 70 not out to 101 and taking India from their overnight 208-8 to a total of 245 all out at Supersport Park in Centurion on Wednesday.
By lunch South Africa had responded with a stuttering 49-1 with opener Dean Elgar fighting his way to the break with 29* from 49 balls (5×4) and Tony de Zorzi on 12* from 32 deliveries. Aiden Markram (5) was the sole casualty edging a brilliant leg-cutter from Mohammad Siraj (5-0-19-1) to ‘keeper Rahul.
Earlier Rahul’s runs came from just 137 balls and contained 14 fours and four sixes as he progressed from pragmatism on the first day to controlled attack in the company of the last few batsmen on the second morning.
Siraj (5) survived for a vital 22 balls which allowed Rahul to manipulate the strike and collect precious boundaries before he edged Gerald Coetzee to ‘keeper Kyle Verreynne in the company of last man Prasidh Krishna.
Rahul moved to his eighth career century with a stunning six over long-on against Coetzee to complete the ‘full-set’ having already struck Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger and Marco Jansen for maximums.
Burger eventually brought the innings to a close bowling Rahul for 101 to finish with 3-50 from 15.4 overs while Coetzee was the most expensive of the pace quartet with 1-74 from 16 overs.
Kagiso Rabada did not add to his overnight five-wickets in the three overs he bowled and finished with 5-59 from 20 overs.
It was Rahul’s eighth test century and certainly one of his best batting at No 6 for the first time and accepting the responsibility of batting with the tailenders like a man who has done the job throughout his career
South Africa: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (captain), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wkt), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger
India:Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.