Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar commended Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul for their strong performance in the opening session of the one-off Test against Afghanistan. India, choosing to bat first, reached 96/1 at lunch on Day 1, with Jaiswal scoring 24 runs before getting out. Rahul, unbeaten on 37 at the break, went on to achieve a century, while Sai Sudharsan contributed 81 runs before his dismissal.
Gavaskar expressed satisfaction with how the Indian openers handled the challenging early conditions. He mentioned, “On day one, when you get off to a start of almost a hundred and have lost just one wicket, you’ve done really well. They managed to negate whatever early assistance the seam bowlers received.” Gavaskar shared his thoughts with Jio Hotstar.
Impressed by the approach of both batsmen, Gavaskar felt Jaiswal was unfortunate to be dismissed after a fluent start at the crease. He added, “Yashasvi was unlucky to get out, strangled down the leg side. On the first day, there are always nerves in the dressing room about what the pitch is going to do because nobody really knows, so he and Rahul helped settle those nerves.”
Former England spinner Graeme Swann also praised Rahul for his performance against Afghanistan’s seam attack. Swann noted, “First and foremost, you’ll probably be thinking, ‘Right, I’ve done the hard bit by getting through the crucial first two hours. Now is the time to be patient.’ They are relatively inexperienced spinners in the grand scheme of things, so they are bound to bowl the occasional loose delivery.” Swann highlighted Rahul’s proactive approach against spin, putting pressure on Afghanistan’s inexperienced slow bowlers.
Rahul’s century and Sudharsan’s 81 runs ensured that India capitalized on the strong foundation set during the opening session.
