NEW DELHI: A gripping day of cricket saw two fighters from either team — Kagiso Rabada and KL Rahul — come up with standout efforts on the first day of the two-Test series. Paceman Rababa’s 5-44 included three almost unplayable deliveries to Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin. He also foxed Rohit Sharma and Shardul Thakur.
Rahul, who is set to don the wicketkeeping gloves for the first time in Tests, married technique, grit and controlled aggression for an invaluable knock (batting on 70; 105b, 10x4, 2x6). Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar called Rahul’s runs “as valuable as a century”. Rahul watched the ball closely and played late.
