In the Centurion Test against South Africa, KL Rahul’s century was not just about the boundaries but also a strategic single that triggered a moment of frustration for pacer Gerald Coetzee. Achieving his 8th Test century, Rahul’s innings included 14 fours and 4 sixes, but it was a sneaky single in collaboration with Prasidh Krishna that stood out.
During the 66th over, Rahul reached his century with a powerful six off Coetzee’s delivery. However, the pivotal moment occurred on the 3rd ball of the over when Rahul and Prasidh Krishna cleverly stole a bye. With Rahul at 95*, Coetzee had dismissed Mohammed Siraj on the first ball. As Prasidh faced a couple of balls, he and Rahul capitalized on wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne’s lapse in game awareness.
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Coetzee, aiming for a yorker, bowled down the legside to Krishna. While Verreynne collected the ball and turned toward slip, Rahul and Krishna seized the opportunity to sneak a quick single. Before Verreynne could react, KL Rahul had crossed the crease, securing a crucial bye and reclaiming the strike.
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Witnessing this, Gerald Coetzee was visibly frustrated with Verreynne’s lapse in concentration during the play. The unexpected single added to the drama of Rahul’s century and showcased the batsman’s alertness on the field.
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Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary Indian batsman, praised Rahul’s century in challenging conditions, hailing it as one of the top 10 Test innings by an Indian player in history. Gavaskar, with 50 years of cricket-watching experience, expressed his admiration on Star Sports, emphasizing the significance of Rahul’s performance given the tough pitch, challenging batting conditions, the quality of the Protea bowling attack, and India’s early wicket losses.
Gavaskar stated, “I have been watching cricket for 50 years, I can surely say this hundred by Rahul is in the Top 10 in the Indian history of Tests.” The accolade added further weight to Rahul’s exceptional innings in Centurion.
