"Keep Your Mouth Shut...": Ex-India's Star's Brutal Take On KL Rahul's Ton

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif hailed KL Rahul for his gutsy century in the ongoing first Test against South Africa in Centurion. Rahul scored his 8th Test ton on Wednesday as he rescued India from a tricky situation on Day 2. He was unbeaten on 33 when India lost their seventh wicket for 164. He then scored 68 of India's 81 runs to take his team to respectable 245 against the Proteas. On a track where rest of his teammates struggled, Rahul batted with a lot of patience with wickets falling at the other end.

Kaif feels that Rahul silenced his critics by letting his bat do the talking.

"It's not easy to hit a century at No.6. Very difficult conditions, overcast conditions. It was a wet pitch, the ball was moving around. India were in a spot of bother. But KL Rahul stood there. What an innings. It's a historic knock. Nobody will be able to forget. Keep your mouth shut and let your bat do the talking, that's what you have done well. The game was slipping away. India were in a lot of trouble. This historic knock had patience, it had class. It was a proper Test knock. Well done, KL Rahul," Kaif said in a video posted on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.

Let your bat do the talking @klrahul⁩⁩ #INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/SYELwF8pGM

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) December 27, 2023

Rahul's ton was overshadowed by South Africa opener Dean Elgar's unbeaten 140 on Day 2 as the visitors took a narrow 11-run lead at the SuperSport Park.

Elgar, who plays his domestic cricket for the Centurion-based Northerns Titans, slammed his first Test century at his home ground.

It was an innings which showed brilliant composure on a testing pitch, and skill when it came to punishing loose deliveries.

It included 23 fours and came off just 211 deliveries before bad light stopped play with South Africa 256 for five, leading by 11 runs in the first innings.

The left-hander, who retires after this two-Test series, previously scored home Test centuries in Cape Town and Gqeberha (two each), Durban, Potchefstroom, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg so he was delighted to complete the set. 

(With AFP Inputs)

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