IND vs SA, 1st Test: KL Rahul gets Sachin Tendulkar praise after Centurion Hundred against South Africa

KL Rahul scored 101 in 137 balls, with 14 fours and four sixes, and struck at a strike rate of over 75. The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman hit four sixes and 14 fours during his stay at the crease.

KL has become the first visiting batsman to score multiple hundreds at Centurion, with his knock of 123 in 2021 being his first century at the venue. (Photo; Twitter)

Centurion: Legendary Sachin Tendulkar heaped praise on KL Rahul after the India batsman struck a likely match-saving hundred against South Africa on Day 2 of the first Test on Wednesday. On a pitch where none of the Indian batters could score, Rahul held on against all odds and took the team to 245 all out in overcast conditions.

KL battled poor Test form for a while and made a comeback playing on a tough Centurion surface and came to the crease at 92/4. The middle order batsman hit most of his swing with lower middle/lower order batters. record a memorable comeback ton. He scored 101 in 137 balls, with 14 fours and four sixes, and struck at a strike rate of over 75.

Tendulkar, who has the most centuries in South Africa among Asian batsmen, was understandably impressed with the way Rahul mixed caution with aggression to counter the South African pacers. Tendulkar, who has played five centuries on South African soil, said the best thing about Rahul’s knock was his clarity of thought, and the legendary cricketer also praised Rahul’s footwork.

“Well played Rahul. What impressed me was his clarity of thought. His footwork looked precise and confident, and that happens when a hitter thinks on his feet. This century is crucial in the context of this Test. India would be happy with 245 considering where they were at one point yesterday,” Tendulkar wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Well played @klrahul. What impressed me was his clarity of thought. His footwork looked precise and confident, and that happens when a hitter thinks on his feet. This century is crucial in the context of this Test. India would be happy with 245 considering where they were at one… pic.twitter.com/Dtw9HpjAIC

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 27, 2023

The Indian wicketkeeper batsman hit four sixes and fourteen fours during his stay at the crease. KL has become the first visiting batsman to score multiple hundreds at Centurion, with his knock of 123 in 2021 being his first century at the venue. The Karnataka-born cricketer also joined Pakistan’s Azhar Mahmood, Sri Lanka’s Thilan Samaraweera and India’s Virat Kohli in scoring at least two centuries by an Asian batsman in South Africa. Sachin Tendulkar is at the top with five hundreds.