Star Indian wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul was India’s lone warrior with the bat on Day 1 of the ongoing Boxing Day Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion. After being asked to bat first, India found themselves struggling following the dismissals of their top-order batters. Rahul came to bat when India were reduced to 92/4. He played well under pressure, scoring a stunning half-century. Rahul remained unbeaten on 70 as India finished 208/8 at stumps after a rain delay.

Applauding KL Rahul for his batting, former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan told Cricbuzz: “KL Rahul’s batting was one of the biggest positives. This is a new beginning for him in Test matches as a keeper-batter. It was an outstanding knock, and that too in challenging conditions. He played his shots once the lower-order batters came in.”India are only in this position because of him. His footwork was up to the mark, and it looked like he was in a very good zone. If he goes on to score 30-40 runs tomorrow as well, it will surely be counted as a top-notch hundred.”

All-rounder Shardul Thakur also scored a crucial 24-run cameo at No. 8. Zaheer praised him for fighting it out for his team despite being hit on the body twice as well.

He added: “On such a wicket, you need someone with this attitude in the middle. Shardul Thakur showed a great temperament. It is not easy when you are fighting hard on the pitch and get hit on the body twice. But the way he played, despite the blows, was commendable. It was a courageous knock.”

However, KL Rahul and Shardul Thakur added crucial runs for the side, forming a 43-run stand for the seventh wicket as well. On the other hand, South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada was the pick of the bowlers on the opening day, as he picked up his 14th five-wicket haul in Tests where he dismissed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Shardul Thakur.

“He has led South Africa’s bowling attack really well following Dale Steyn’s retirement. If we look at his career, it is clear that he enjoys the big occasions. He is always well-prepared for the big battles, which I feel is the highlight of his career. For a bowler, it is important to enjoy the big occasions,” Zaheer Khan concluded. “Even once the ball got older, there was still a lot of help on offer for the fast bowlers. South African bowlers took wickets consistently, but they leaked a lot of runs, considering the pitch and the conditions. The discipline was missing and they could have done a better job in terms of runs.”