Veteran India opener KL Rahul’s calm and composed unbeaten fifty on Thursday earned high praise from former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel, who believes the right-hander is in the midst of his finest year in Test cricket as well. Rahul’s 53 not out off 114 balls helped India post 121/2 in 38 overs at stumps on day one of the first Test against West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium, trailing West Indies by just 41 runs.

Parthiv Patel, while speaking on JioHotstar, applauded Rahul’s maturity. “KL Rahul was outstanding today; he carried on his form from the England tour. Before that series, there were concerns about his form, but I thought he took responsibility really well. It’s very important when a team is going through a transition that your senior players step up, and that’s exactly what KL Rahul did in England. Today, as well, he played the situation really well. The West Indies opening bowling pair was disciplined, and KL gave them the respect they deserved. He gave himself that time to settle, and once he was set, we saw him using his feet and rotating the strike.”

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He also added, “He looks much more in control and settled now. I think that hundred against Australia A also gave him a lot of confidence, because when you head into a Test series after scoring so many runs, it makes a difference. It’s been an outstanding year for K.L. Rahul, his second-best after 2017. I think he will surpass that record this year because he is looking in very good shape.”

However, Parthiv also opined on Sudharsan’s struggles: “Sai Sudharsan looked a bit tentative today. He usually uses his feet really well, especially against left-arm spinners. With left-handed batters, we know that as soon as a left-arm spinner comes in, we try to rotate the strike and wait for the right ball to go after. But I thought Sai Sudharsan was probably feeling a bit of pressure to score big runs and secure that number three position. He just needs to stay calm.”

Parthiv Patel also praised Bumrah’s yorkers: “We’ve seen Jasprit Bumrah nailing those yorkers to perfection. He has that unique ability. It’s tough to play such deliveries. How many times have we seen him bowl those yorkers since 2013? For the last 12 years, I’ve been saying that no one can deliver yorkers like Bumrah, and he keeps doing it again and again.”