AHMEDABAD: Just before lunch on Day Two at the new Motera, KL Rahul whipped one delivery off Roston Chase past the close-in fielder at midwicket. Even before completing the single, the celebration had begun.
This was a long time coming so he was determined to continue the celebrations. After completing the run, off came the helmet. What would he do was a question that went around the press box? Would he take his fingers to make a gesture of shutting out the outside noise?
In the end, he took the ring and middle-fingers of his left hand and appeared to suck on it while raising his bat again with the other hand. In hindsight, even that celebration was choreographed (it was for his daughter). And it was apt that was also choreographed because it was that kind of innings from the Indian opener. He was so much in control of what he wanted to do, so in command of the situation.
In the process, he also brought up only his second Test 100 in India and a first since the game against England in Chennai, the one where his state-mate, Karun Nair, scored a triple way back in 2016. The 33-year-old, like other modern Indian batters, have a problem in converting centuries into daddies so it wasn't a surprise when he fell minutes after the milestone. It was a nothing shot, an uppish drive off Jomel Warrican pouched by cover. 100 off 197 balls (12x4).
But what that score won't tell you is what made this innings a quintessential Rahul ton. The leaves where he tucked his bat behind, like a shy child hiding behind a parent on the first day of school. The nudges in front of square off spin. The stylish drives in front of square off pace.
That facet of his batsmanship has been front and centre for the hosts as they manage a changing of guard at the top of the order.
Since the beginning of last year, Yashasvi Jaiswal (1957 runs; 61.9 per cent in boundaries), Shubman Gill (1703; 53.3 per cent) and Rishabh Pant (1156; 60.7 per cent) have been ever present in their top-order. All three of them score over 50 per cent of their runs in fours or sixes. Rahul, in fact, is the only batter in this top-order who has scored fewer than 50 per cent of his runs in fours and sixes.
Peel back the curtain even more and Rahul is also a throwback opener at a time when the Test nations around the world are identifying batters with a penchant for boundary-hitting and taking the game on. Since the beginning of last year, Rahul is the only regular opener without a six (minimum = six matches). He's also the only opener nearer to the top of the run-scorers list who has scored a bulk of his runs not in boundaries (he's fourth behind Jaiswal, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley and followed by Usman Khawaja, Pathum Nissanka and Aiden Markram). What that list shows is that Rahul is more readily able to sacrifice his fluent strokeplay to play a more conventional game when he wears his India creams.
It was visible across the evening on Day One and before lunch on Day Two against the West Indies. He was unhurried, it was like watching a series set to 0.75x on an OTT platform. It doesn't matter if the bowler is ready to deliver but he will take his time. It doesn't matter if the batter at the other end is boundary-hunting, he will take his time.
And, of late, he's increasingly becoming better at compartmentalising and forgetting what happened the previous delivery. He had a life off Jayden Seales within the first few overs of the morning, when the West Indies pacer found the outside edge but it bisected keeper and slip. Off the next ball he faced, he defended with the full blade. Concentration on point.
After the slower bowlers came on, he milked them for plenty of singles on either side of the wicket. That's the one shot you need in your arsenal to have success in India, especially against spin and Rahul used it in abundance. The gentle clip off the pads or the prod down the ground. Out of the 44 singles, 22 came off the leg side to spinners.
This next phase of Rahul the opener will be crucial to India's short-term Test aspirations because he acts as the bridge between two generations. For all the focus on Gill, Jaiswal and Pant, Rahul's presence at the top is like that of the seasons.
A constant in a sea of change.
