Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan heaped praises on wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul for his valiant knock on a tricky centurion pitch and lauded Rahul for a phenomenal display of skills in demanding conditions. | SA vs IND, 1st Test Day 1 Scorecard |
India concluded Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test match at 208 for the loss of 8 wickets after experiencing a batting collapse, triggered by South Africa’s ace-pacer Kagiso Rabada. He breathed fire with his 5-wicket haul and caused the downfall of the Indian batting lineup.
The team would have faced a complete bowled-out scenario on Day 1 if not for KL Rahul’s resilient performance in Centurion on Tuesday, December 26. Rahul played a patient knock, scoring an unbeaten 70 off 105 balls in a counter-attacking innings. KL Rahul’s knock rescued India from a challenging position of 107 for 5, bringing them to 208 for 8 before rain forced an early end to the day’s play.
Irfan took to ‘X’ and lauded Rahul’s batting against South Africa at SuperSport Park. He praised Rahul for his style of play despite the tough conditions.
“Sumptuous lofted drives, glorious shots along the ground, cracking pulls, excellent leaves, a rock-solid defence – this innings has had it all. Phenomenal display of skills in demanding conditions,” Irfan wrote.
This was the first time in his Test cricket career that Rahul was batting outside the top 3.
