IND vs ENG 2021: Teammates laud KL Rahul after a classy century at Lord's against England

KL Rahul finally seems to have made his mark at the top of the order for the Indian Test side. The opener smashed a sensational hundred at the Lord's Cricket Ground on Day One of the second Test against England.

Rahul showed great grit and discipline early on in his innings, scoring 22 runs off his first 105 balls. He then switched gears effortlessly to race to his sixth Test century and get his name on the Honors Board at the Home of Cricket.

While KL Rahul possesses the undeniable ability and talent with stroke-making that oozes class, he's also shown that he can combine his craft with some graft when his side needs him to do so. The Indian opener has shown tremendous application throughout the tour so far, biding his time in the middle and battling it out in difficult conditions. Rahul has also tweaked his technique which has helped him adapt to conditions and offered a more reliable defense.

📸📸@klrahul11 #TeamIndia https://t.co/OvD0ascaGV pic.twitter.com/st3dRt2p3I

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 12, 2021

KL Rahul's teammate and opening partner at the Punjab Kings, Mayank Agarwal, was the first to laud the efforts of his IPL captain. Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who had the best seat in the house for most of Rahul's innings, also took to his Instagram account to congratulate the Karnataka batsman on his sublime knock.

Virat Kohli took to Instagram to congratulate his teammate on his century.

Mayank Agarwal also took to Instagram to show his PBKS skipper some love

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What does KL Rahul's form mean for Mayank Agarwal?

Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul (Credits: InsideSport)

With injuries to India's first-choice openers Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal ahead of the first Test at Nottingham, KL Rahul was entrusted the opening spot alongside Rohit Sharma.

Rahul grabbed his opportunity with both hands, repaying the team management's faith and making the most of the chance at the top of the order. While he did enough in the first Test to keep his place in the side, Rahul has almost certainly cemented his place at the top of the order for the rest of the series after his stunning century this time around.

Unfortunately, Mayank Agarwal, who suffered a concussion in the nets ahead of the first Test, will be the one to miss out due to Rahul's form. It seems like he will have to wait for another opportunity. Whether he will be next in the pecking order or if it will be back-up opener Prithvi Shaw also remains to be seen..

However, Rahul and Agarwal are good friends on and off the field and it's good to see them enjoy each other's success. The duo's camraderie also says plenty about the atmosphere in the Indian dressing room as well.

That's Stumps on Day 1 of the 2nd #ENGvIND Test at Lord's! A solid outing with the bat for #TeamIndia, courtesy 1⃣2⃣7⃣* from @klrahul11 8⃣3⃣ from @ImRo45 4⃣2⃣ from @imVkohli Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/KGM2YELLde pic.twitter.com/HpeU5SoWk5

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 12, 2021