India’s veteran batsman Rohit Sharma has heaped praise on his opening partner KL Rahul. Rohit stated that it is the best he has seen KL Rahul bat after the latter scored a fine hundred on the opening day of the second Test match at Lord’s.
Rohit and Rahul continued their good form as they added a brilliant alliance of 126 runs for the opening stand and laid down the foundation for the team after Joe Root won the toss and decided to bowl first.
There were overcast conditions in the first session and both Rahul as well as Rohit adopted a sedate approach. Rohit then changed gears after he hit Sam Curran for four fours in the 15 over. On the other hand, Rahul played a second fiddle to Rohit Sharma but kept growing in confidence after smashing a six against Moeen Ali.
Rahul rotated the strike with guile and kept the pressure on the England bowlers. The flamboyant batsman showed great technique and batted at the top of his game. The Indian opener was able to change gears after going past the 50-run mark. The right-hander completed his 6th Test century and remained unbeaten on 127 runs at the end of day’s play. Thus, the visitors were able to post 276/3 and KL Rahul has put his team in a commanding position.
“Yeah, it was probably the best I have seen KL bat. I thought he was very much in control from ball 1 till we finished the day. At no given point did it look like he was confused or thinking too much. He was very clear with his plans and when you do that and trust your plans, they definitely work. Today was his day and he really made it count,” Rohit Sharma said in the post-stumps press conference.
Meanwhile, the communication between the wickets has been top class among the Indian openers. In fact, Rohit was expected to open the innings with Mayank Agarwal in the first Test but the latter was ruled out due to concussion. Both Rohit and Rahul rotated the strike consistently and also found the gaps to frustrate England.
“Honestly, there was no discussion because KL wasn’t supposed to play the first game, Mayank was. Unfortunately he was hit on the head and was out due to a concussion and then KL stepped in. Only after we went out to bat did we start discussing what we needed to do and things like that. Yes, it’s the first time I have opened with KL in Test cricket but I have batted with him a number of times. We know and understand each others’ games and it’s important to keep talking in the middle. It can be a lot lonely out there if you are not communicating. It’s always nice to have a partner who’s willing to communicate and take the game forward. Both of our mindsets are pretty similar,” added Rohit Sharma.
India will aim to keep the momentum whereas England will hunt for early wickets on Day 2.
