Indian Rahul celebrates his century (PTI Photo)
Afghanistan coach Richard Pybus on Saturday took a sly dig at KL Rahul after India’s opener opted not to walk despite edging the ball behind the stumps. At that point, Rahul was batting at No. 16 and went on to complete his 12th Test hundred.On the first ball of the 11th over, bowled by Ziaur Rahman, Rahul escaped what appeared to be a clear hit on television replays, but Afghanistan did not claim a catch back. No one except Rehmanullah Gurbaz, who was standing at second slip, seemed convinced, and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi decided not to take the DRS. However, there was a clear deviation, and UltraEdge later confirmed the edge.
“I think the matter is balanced for the better,” Bibus told reporters at the end of today’s play. “I have no problem if someone stands up.”He added: “Sometimes they get bad calls. Sometimes they get a little grace. Sometimes you don’t know it. Sometimes you get a feather and you don’t feel it.”Rahul played some brilliant knocks as he defended resolutely on a seemingly flat track against an Afghanistan attack that looked disciplined without being particularly threatening. His innings featured nine boundaries, and barring an edge that was not resumed, Rahul showed excellent defensive technique.
However, he looked hesitant at the start of his innings before working his way into form.“I’m really happy that I was able to get some time in the middle and make that switch from T20 to Test cricket in a couple of days. That was the most satisfying thing. But yeah, it was really hot, so there wasn’t much time for me to feel happy or satisfied with the way I batted. I was exhausted by the end of it,” Rahul told the broadcasters at stumps on day one.“The ball wasn’t coming at all. It was a really slow, low shot, which is what we expected. After a few days of training here and even on the side wicket, it was very similar to this.“I had to make that switch and get used to spending time in the middle, get used to letting the ball come to you and arranging your Test game plan in your head. So, yeah, the few days we had here really helped. I’ve just implemented the same training into the game, enjoyed being in the middle and playing some good old Test cricket,” he added.It was a near-perfect opening day for India after centuries from KL Rahul and the skipper
Shubman Gill
He pushed them to a level of 368/3 at stumps.