Seasoned keeper Dinesh Karthik was extremely delighted by KL Rahul’s batting heroics on the opening day of India’s Boxing Day Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday, December 26.
The Indian top-order crumbled in very seam-friendly circumstances, with the visitors at one point struggling at 24/3. Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli rallied to bring the score to 92 before Iyer was dismissed. At 121/6, things were doomed, but KL Rahul’s gallant 70 not out carried India to 208/8 by the end of the first day’s play.
It’s important to note that this was KL Rahul‘s only second occasion batting at No. 6 in a Test match. Under pressure, he displayed incredible poise and skillfully countered the South African bowlers under difficult circumstances.
“KL Rahul has been quite the player that India needs”-Dinesh Karthik
Karthik highlighted Rahul’s consistent performance in foreign conditions during a conversation on Cricbuzz. Further, he pointed out that KL is someone who always gets runs abroad and is constantly showing his value to the world.
“He batted very authoritatively towards the end of his innings but what was really good was how he was able to fight at the start when he had normal batters with him. KL Rahul is someone who has always got runs abroad. That is a very rare quality to have, and KL Rahul is constantly showing the world why he is rated so highly,” he said.
Karthik spoke about Rahul’s early cautious approach and his subsequent decision to boost up the pace when batting with the tailender batsmen. He added that KL got a couple of hundreds in England, got runs in Australia and now scored a century earlier on the same stadium against South Africa.
“He has got a couple of hundreds in England, he has got runs in Australia, we know he has got a hundred previously at the same ground against South Africa, and yet again repeating it today on a much tougher pitch. It was so hard to bat on, and he came, weathered the storm, batted well, but when he got together with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, started playing some sumptuous shots,” Karthik explained.
The former cricket player who is now a commentator noted how Rahul has performed admirably since coming back to the Indian team from injury.
“From the time he has made his comeback and put foot in the Indian team again after his injury in the Asia Cup, he has not looked back. He has been quite the player that India need and has been one that they want,” he elaborated.
“That is always going to be a challenge” – Dinesh Karthik on conditions in South Africa
On the first day, India lost wickets frequently, and players like Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill departed without making a big impact.
Dinesh Karthik stated that the batting lineup would always have an important hurdle because players like Shreyas Iyer, Gill, and Jaiswal are participating in their first-ever Test series in South Africa. He said:
“Three out of the six batters are playing in South Africa in their first Test. That is always going to be a challenge. Throw in the fact that they have given a very spicy wicket, it is never going to be easy.”
If India can manage to score 240 runs in total, Karthik believes they have a chance to fight their way back. We also have four fast bowlers who can perform the same as South African bowlers.
“If India can get to 230-240, they will be pretty happy with that score. We have four fast bowlers as well. So, we can probably do the same what South Africa have done to us,” Karthik added,
On Day 2, Team India will resume batting with KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj. Rahul would like to help his side reach the 250-run target by scoring a few quick runs.