Indian batting icon Sunil Gavaskar believes that India missed an experienced batsman like Ajinkya Rahane on the first day of IND vs SA first Test match.
India began losing wickets at regular intervals after being asked to bat first. Aside from keeper-batsman KL Rahul’s valiant unbeaten 70-run performance, the remaining batsmen failed to convert their starts and battled visibly against the South African spinners in the seam-friendly conditions.
Gavaskar recalled Rahane’s brave 48-run knock on a difficult surface in Johannesburg during India’s 2017-18 tour of South Africa. He believes that things would have been different if the seasoned campaigner had also been a part of the squad for this series.
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Sunil Gavaskar on KL Rahul’s knock: “It’s a Rahul we’ve been waiting to see for a long time”
Sunil Gavaskar was blown away by KL Rahul’s batting performance on the first day of the first Test between India and South Africa.
He emphasized how Rahul has continuously done well after returning to the national squad after an injury break. Gavaskar informed Star Sports about the keeper-batter’s battling knock:
“We’ve known about his skill for a long time, but we’ve only really begun to see it in the last eight, nine months after he recovered from his awful injury in the IPL. Rahul is not the same. It’s a Rahul we’ve been hoping to see for a long time, and it’s a joy to watch. I also stated in my essay that this half-century is as nice as a century to me.”
The first Test against India will take place at SuperSport Park on Tuesday, December 26
On Tuesday, December 26, South African bowlers dominated Day 1 of the first Test match against India at SuperSport Park. Kagiso Rabada’s five-wicket haul in Centurion hampered the visiting side before KL Rahul’s outstanding unbroken effort.
India lost the toss and was forced to bat on the rain-soaked and pace-friendly Centurion pitch. Rabada swiftly acclimated to the playing conditions and bowled brilliantly from the start. With a pitched-up ball, he dismissed Rohit Sharma and pushed him to try a pull shot that found a fine leg.
Except for KL Rahul’s spectacular 70* from 100 balls, Indian hitters had no solution for the sloppy playing conditions. Sunil Gavaskar, former captain, and pundit, emphasized the pitch’s characteristics and how Indian batters encountered similar conditions in Johannesburg during the 2018 trip.
India was knocked out for less than 250 runs in both innings, but won by 63 runs because of Ajinkya Rahane 48-run effort in the second. Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara are both skipping this tour due to unsatisfactory performances in 2023 and are unlikely to return to international cricket.
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