Plan was to put the pressure back on the bowlers: KL Rahul

India managed to score just 43 runs in the second session of play on Day 1 in the third Test match against West Indies as the hosts bowled with a lot of discipline. Whereas, the Indian opener KL Rahul seem to be batting in another planet as he scored 50 runs off 65 balls with a strike-rate of 76.92.

He said that the new ball was doing a bit and India lost a couple of early wickets, as he decided to take the attack to the opposition. “My plan was to attack them and put the loose balls away and put the pressure back on the bowlers. It worked well for me and I got a fifty but it was unfortunate the way I got out after that. It is a good learning for me and I will only get better from here,” said Rahul, who scored his first half-century to go with his 3 centuries.

At the end of day’s play, India is at 234/5 and he said that the Indian batsmen had also shown a lot of discipline they could have easily been bowled out for 180-200 as they were down to 126/5 at one stage. “R Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha’s partnership (108) was really crucial. Those 100 runs will really help us in the Test. We are happy with our efforts today, considering a damp wicket and heavy outfield, we will take 235/5 at the end of the wicket,” he pointed out.

The spongy bounce was something India hadn’t experienced in the first two Test matches. Rahul feels that the wicket have something for everyone – “The batsman could play their shots and the bowlers bent their backs and came hard as there was something in it for them.”

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The 24-year old also said that the score would have easily been around 260-270, given a faster outfield. “That is a good enough score on the first day when we lost early wickets and considering the slow outfield,” he said.

Speaking about the opening trio of him along with Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay, he said, “It is very good to have a healthy competition in the team. It only speaks highly of our batting lineup and the kind of effort everybody is putting in and the kind of form they are in.”

“Only two openers can play so we enjoy each other’s company and each other’s success. We are always learning from each other. There is never that feeling that maybe I should not give him some advice as he might take my place. There is never that feeling between us and the team overall. It’s a great place for a team to be in,” he concluded.