India Gain Upper Hand On Day One Of Second Test

Rahul’s Sparkling Ton, Rohit’s 83 Help India Gain Upper Hand On Day One Of Second Test

- Nitin Naik

What a turnaround it has been for KLRahul. A few weeks ago, he was the third-choice opener for India and the team management had said that if at all Rahul gets into the team, it would only be as a middle-order batsman.

But like in the 2019 World Cup, where Shikhar Dhawan got injured and Rahul got the chance to partner Rohit Sharma at the top, injuries to Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal prior to the start of the Test series against England gave the Karnataka stylist a much-needed lucky break.

Already an established white-ball player, Rahul, who has curiously struggled in Tests, capitalised on his good fortune. After two good knocks of 84 and 26 at Trent Bridge, the 29-year-old got his sixth Test hundred and his first since the 149 at The Oval in 2018 to get on to the coveted Lord’s honours board.

Rahul’s century (batting on 127, 248b, 12x4, 1x6) and the sublime 83 (145b, 11x4, 1x6) by fellow opener Sharma got India to a powerful at 276-3 at stumps, prompting England skipper Joe Root to ponder whether he had blundered by inserting the opposition in on a dark and damp morning that turned into a sun-kissed London evening, almost in celebration of India’s batting dominance. Despite a cautious beginning after a delay of half an hour due to rain, it was classic Test-match batting by Rahul and Sharma, who conceded the first session to the bowling team by leaving as many deliveries as they could and by playing as late and as close to their bodies as possible.