Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara was effusive in his praise for opener KL Rahul after his stoic half-century on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday.

Opening the batting after India captain Shubman Gill won the toss, Rahul played a measured knock to set the base for a strong batting day for India against the Lankan attack. Rahul breezed through a half-century and remained unhurried despite involving himself in a mix-up and run-out of his opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Rahul shared a strong 150-run stand with number three Devdutt Padikkal until Tea before retiring hurt due to severe cramps. Pujara hailed Rahul’s contributions at the top of the order, rating him among the best players in the format for India.

“He is, for me, probably one of the best Test cricketers in this Indian Test side. He is leading from the front all the time, showing some of the young players how to approach Test cricket. Methods might be different. Some players will carry on playing the aggressive way, but Rahul is showing again and again that Test cricket still can be played in a traditional way. So, he is sticking to his strength,” Pujara told Cricinfo.

Pujara noted how Rahul has improved his contributions ever since settling back as the first-choice opener over the last two seasons.

“What is impressive to see is that he is defending the ball well, he is leaving the ball well. When he gets his opportunity to score runs, he is capitalizing on that. But the biggest point here is, he is showing that consistency, which was lacking maybe a couple of years back. He was getting enough opportunities but he was missing out on those opportunities.

Story continues below this ad

“Now, whenever he is crossing 30, 40 or 50, he is making it into a big one. Because of cramps, he couldn’t carry on with his innings. But he still has that opportunity to get to his 100. So, hopefully on Day 2, if he gets to bat, he will make it count,” Pujara added.

India went into stumps at 288 for two on Day 1 with Padikkal unbeaten on 131 alongside Rishabh Pant. Retired hurt on 77, Rahul is likely to return to the middle during the rest of the innings.