Quote:In Kingston a few weeks ago, KL Rahul made 158 in a Test match against the West Indies. The home team batsmen had earlier made relatively straightforward batting conditions look perilous. In two sessions they were bundled out for 196, Ravichandran Ashwin taking the heaviest toll with 5/52.

Rahul arrived at the crease for the post-tea session with his opening partner Shikar Dhawan. And while the lefthander was the more experienced, more tested of the two, it was Rahul who more exuded the unmistakable branding of class. This is not to throw the least bit of shade in Dhawan's direction. Few batsmen in the game ooze the elegance and control of the tall right-hander from Karnataka.

It was his third Test hundred, having previously reached centuries against Australia and Sri Lanka, and he pretty much had things his own way. All throughout his innings he never seemed troubled or hurried, seemed to play each ball on merit and even his most powerful strokes were played with a deceptive effortlessness.