KL Rahul has epitomised the ideal Test batter in this series — cool and stylish, never willing to take any risk at the top of the order.

Rahul’s dogged innings, his ninth Test century, on Monday came at a time when England had everything going in their favour on the fourth day. The conditions were overcast and blustery, aiding England’s pacers to stack the odds against the batters.

But not Rahul. He wore down the bowlers with his patience and concentration. Even the early dismissal of Shubman Gill failed to have an impact. The irregular bounce on the pitch was disturbing but Rahul was content by playing off the back foot.

Brydon Carse set the tone with a six-over morning spell (1/12) but it was Josh Tongue who was unlucky when Rahul survived a close call. Harry Brook, the beneficiary of three lives in the first innings, repaid the ‘favour’ with a drop at gully when Rahul was on 55.

The shot was out of character from Rahul, who had shown great restraint right through the innings. He even tried to bring in some sanity in Rishabh Pant, though the wicketkeeper had his own ways of surviving the crucial first session.

Pant displayed his usual chaotic shot-making style, charging the second ball
he faced from Chris Woakes and skewing it over the slip cordon.

Rahul played the role of a senior pro to perfection by trying to calm him down at times when he threatened to go berserk. His own century had class written all over and was a testament to his ability to perform as an opener. Eight of his nine hundreds have now come away from home, including three in England.

His batting was slow but he showed the ability to grind the attack, much like what
Cheteshwar Pujara used to do at No.3. Rahul did get beaten on a few occasions but it
hardly disturbed his focus and application.

“Thrilling to watch off the front foot, off the back foot, then the straight batter drive... and the cover drive. I can rave about that cover drive because there’s perfection in that. I hope that he comes good in this series and scores over 500, maybe 700 runs. That would be fantastic from India,” Sunil Gavaskar said during commentary on Sunday.

“He’s got so much talent. Look at all the shots on the offside, leg-side, the flick, everything. All the shots, but he hasn’t lived up to that,” the former captain added.

Rahul has always been the perfect team-man — kept wickets, opened the innings, and batted in the middle-order without much fuss. Having never hankered for leadership roles, he has been content with playing to the team’s needs.

Having thrown away his wicket on 42 in the first innings, following a rare lapse in concentration, he made amends in the second innings.

It is believed that Rahul never realises how good a player he is. The England tour could be an opportunity to put things in the right perspective.