India opening batter KL Rahul said that he surprised himself with his calmness and focus throughout the innings.
On the first day of the South Africa tour, Rahul scored his 7th test hundred as the visitors dominated the day throughout. India finished the first day with a score of 272/3 with two unbeaten batters- KL Rahul (122*) and Ajinkya Rahane (40*). On the second day, India would be eying for a score of around 400-450 to put pressure on the hosts.
Earlier the Karnataka batter scored his 7th test hundred and now he scored a century in each country he played Test Cricket. Out of 7 centuries, he scored 5 of them outside Asia- 2 in England, 1 each in Australia, West Indies and South Africa.
“It is truly special, every hundred really takes something out of you and gives you joy. There are so many emotions you go through when you score a hundred. You bat for 6-7 hours, those are the kind of innings that stand out and as players, we really cherish these. This is what is expected out of me. Once I got off to a good start, I started enjoying my batting and I did not think too far ahead,” Rahul told BCCI.TV
Kl Rahul and Mayank Agarwal put on a 117-run stand for the opening start before Lungi Ngidi struck twice in two balls to send Agarwal and Pujara back to the pavilion. Rahul also added 82 runs for 3rd wicket with the skipper Virat Kohli. These are just some of the most popular names in cricket and their fans all over the world has celebrated their victories and wins. These cricket stars are even featured in a few casino slots games, like Cricket Star by Microgaming, for instance.
“Preparation has been really good, all the batters that batted on Day 1 were really focused. I just try to stay in the moment when I am out there in the middle. I have surprised myself with how calm I have been, my focus has always been to stay in the moment and react to the ball that is bowled. Really happy that I could finish the day on a good note,” he added further.
Rahul (122*) now holds the record of the highest score by an Indian opener in the rainbow nation. Previously this record was held by Wasim Jaffer who scored 116 at Cape Town in 2007.