"It's the best I have seen KL Rahul bat" - Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma hailed KL Rahul for his unbeaten hundred on Day 1 of the second India-England Test at Lord's on Thursday. Sharma said the 248-ball 127* is the best he has seen Rahul bat, praising his opening partner for his control and discipline.
KL Rahul's century, his second in England, was studded with 12 boundaries and a six. The dashing right-hander started assiduously, taking as many as 105 balls to make his first 20 runs. He broke free after Rohit Sharma's dismissal in the 44th over and didn't stop punishing the English bowlers until stumps.
"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.
With his hundred, KL Rahul joined Virender Sehwag in second place on the list of most hundreds for an Indian opener outside Asia. His four tons are now only behind Sunil Gavaskar's 15. The 29-year-old also became the third Indian opener to get his name etched on the Lord's honors board.
"Always nice to have a partner who's willing to communicate" - Rohit Sharma on KL Rahul
Rohit Sharma, who himself contributed a superb 83 to the 126-run opening stand with KL Rahul, also spoke about the importance of on-field conversations. He asserted that his partnership with the Karnataka batsman is gelling well because both are of similar mindsets and look to take the game forward.
"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 midsets are pretty similar," added Rohit Sharma.
India will start Day 3 comfortably perched at 276-3. Responsibility will now lie with Ajinkya Rahane to take over the anchor role from KL Rahul and then on Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja to propel India to a match-winning first-innings score.