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India’s batting coach, Vikram Rathour, praised KL Rahul for his exceptional performance on the first day of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in Centurion. Rathour dubbed Rahul as the “man of crisis” for his remarkable touch and skillful strokeplay, particularly evident in his unbeaten half-century.
Facing a challenging first day, India found themselves at 92/4, with the South African quicks posing a formidable threat. However, KL Rahul emerged as the savior, steering India back into contention with an impressive unbeaten 70. This resilient effort propelled India to 208/8 by the day’s end, a position that seemed unlikely earlier in the game.
Vikram Rathour, speaking at the press conference after the day’s play, commended Rahul’s clarity in game plans, stating, “He’s certainly going to be a man of crisis for us, I think. Every time there are tough situations, most of the times he’s there. He’s the guy who handles those situations well. He was unequivocal with his game plans, defended the right balls, attacked the right balls.”
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In the face of challenging conditions, South Africa opted to bowl first, exploiting early opportunities to challenge India’s relatively inexperienced middle-order. Despite a strong partnership between Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, the Proteas managed to dismiss them, placing the responsibility of anchoring the batting squarely on Rahul’s shoulders.
“The conditions were tough for batting. After 3-4 games of cricket, we ended at 91-43, I think. There was a good recovery and a good partnership between the two (Kohli and Iyer),” Rathour remarked, highlighting Kohli’s solid performance during his stay in the middle.
Rathour expressed confidence in India’s performance despite the early collapse, emphasizing that the team had done a reasonable job. Rain curtailed play on day one, with India set to resume at 208/8, with Rahul unbeaten on 70, accompanied by Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna to follow.
–IANS
