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KL Rahul announced his return to red-ball cricket in grand fashion by scoring a stroke-filled century in the practice match against County XI on Tuesday.
After playing as an opener in Tests, Rahul shifted to the number five position in this contest. He adapted perfectly to the new middle-order role and had a triumphant outing at Durham. Interestingly, it was KL Rahul's second consecutive first-class century on English soil.
In the second innings of the fifth Test during India's tour of England in 2018, Rahul played a spectacular knock of 149 off 224 balls. He has now scored another century on English soil after three years in a new role.
Watch KL Rahul reach his century with a boundary in the clip below:
Soon after reaching the milestone, KL Rahul decided to leave the crease to give batting practice to the rest of the players. He departed as retired out at 101 (in 150 balls) at the end of 72 overs.
Fans will have been elated to see Rahul's reincarnation in a fresh role in the Test set-up. He will also don the wicket-keeper's gloves when India return to the field in the next innings.
Rahul's outstanding knock comprised 11 fours and one solitary maximum. While all his peers struggled to score runs, Rahul appeared to be playing on a different surface as he scored an aggressive century.
In the process, Rahul also staked his claim for a spot in the Indian middle-order for the upcoming 5-match Test series against England. Apart from Rahul, only Ravindra Jadeja crossed fifty in this match.
Underfire middle-order batsmen like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane will now have to be careful as KL Rahul has produced an exceptional innings in that slot. Pujara should use the second innings of the practice match to play a substantial knock to keep his place in the team for the first Test against England.
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