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Team India opener KL Rahul played an outstanding knock of 129, helping the visitors to 364 runs in the first innings of the 2nd Test against England. Rahul became only the third Indian opener to score a century at the iconic Lord's Stadium.
Rahul came into the side at the cost of injuries to Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal. He immediately made use of the opportunity, scoring 84 runs at Trent Bridge and backing it up with a century in London.
Opening the innings, Rahul batted for 250 balls, scoring 129 runs, which included 12 boundaries and one six. In a video uploaded by the BCCI, KL Rahul admitted that the knock holds a very special place.
Speaking to Rohit Sharma, Rahul said:
"It's special, very very special. Not because it was a hundred at Lord's that adds to the excitement and joy because I have been away from Test cricket for a couple of years now and I have grown up wanting to be a Test cricketer and play Test cricket and that was the generation I grew up in. My father loves Test cricket, my coaches have always wanted me to play Test cricket so I always wanted to do well in Test cricket so getting dropped from Test cricket was disappointing."
"It did hurt but I had nobody else to blame other than myself since the performances were not good. I was waiting for my opportunity and the way it came to me was meant to be. I just enjoyed my batting and getting a hundred at Lord's makes it even more special," he added.
Incidentally, KL Rahul was dropped from India's Test side owing to a string of poor scores. Meanwhile, the likes of Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal grabbed opportunities with both hands. But Rahul has now made a roaring comeback, making a strong statement for the opening spot.
"It was a conscious effort from me" - KL Rahul on not going for runs
29-year-old KL Rahul highlighted that he made a conscious effort not to go for runs and played the ball on its merit which worked wonders for him.
Speaking further on his knock, KL Rahul asserted:
"Before I got dropped I played in different conditions in South Africa, Australia and England. Though it was my first tour, there were a lot of takeaways and I realised that my mind was very cluttered. I felt like I had two shots for every ball or I was always thinking runs but this time I was telling myself just to play the ball and not look for runs and it was a conscious effort from me and it didn't happen overnight."
"When I was practicing these last two years and was away from the game sitting and watching other guys getting runs in India and it can be anywhere, however, the process remains the same. How the batsmen builds the innings and by watching that I realised that something I can bring into my game and I am glad that it helped me," he added.
