The India player sets a new century record with a gritty 101 against South Africa, continuing KL Rahul's romance with Centurion
In the first Test of the series against South Africa in Centurion, KL Rahul struck his eighth Test century in an innings marked by remarkable poise and perseverance despite strong spells and cloudy skies. With this, he became the first overseas cricket player to reach the three-figure mark in Test cricket at the venue for the second time. Over the first and second days of the Test, Rahul amassed a century in 133 balls, showcasing both attacking and defensive skill. Surprisingly, Rahul is playing in his debut Test match as the designated wicketkeeper-batter.India was struggling at 92/4 when Rahul took the wicket. Following a stand of 68 runs, the team had lost the important wicket of Shreyas Iyer (31). Virat Kohli (38), who was the only other designated batter in the lineup, left shortly after Rahul arrived. Rahul trusted in his abilities on a challenging surface at Supersport Park, creating crucial alliances with the tailenders.Rabada then struck again, striking Shardul Thakur for 24, after he and Elgar shared a 43-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Rahul took the opposition by surprise by scoring 70 runs off 105 balls and leading India above the 200-run threshold despite the wickets falling. Without Rahul's masterful speed in the first innings, it could have been challenging for the visitors to reach even 150.Following rain-induced early stumping and a damp outfield that further delayed the start of play on the second day, KL Rahul appeared to be a man on a mission. During his opening over of the day, he faced early difficulties as Kagiso Rabada produced a lot of movement off the surface, hitting him three times on the outside edge. Despite these early setbacks, Rahul did not back down and took advantage of badly hit balls, especially punishing anything that was pitched short and mockingly towards the boundary.He made 65 runs in six overs, including a six and four boundaries for 24 of those runs. Rahul scored a three-figure score against Gerald Coetzee in the 67th over, capping up a brilliant innings that had been long overdue. Having been bowled by Siraj in the same over, Rahul faced the final delivery of the over with just one wicket remained. Rahul hit the ball hard for a six towards midwicket to reach the mark in 133 balls after acting captain Dean Elgar ordered the fielders to stay inside the circle.Additionally, this was his second century at the Centurion in a row. In addition, Rahul joined Rishabh Pant as the only other Indian wicketkeeper-batter to make a century in South Africa, having accomplished so during the 2021–2022 tour. India was finally knocked out for 245 in the first innings, with the batting player being removed for 101.