IND vs ENG, 1st Test - Coming in to bat at Virat Kohli's spot, KL Rahul get his half-century in his 50th Test

KL Rahul has looked in fine form and has raced to his half-century on Day 2 of the 1st Test between India and England at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The batter, who stepped out to bat in Virat Kohli's spot, showcased his prowess in the middle order by reaching a half-century in his 50th Test game.

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A single off the last ball of the over from Joe Root propelled him to his half-century. Rahul quickly progressed through his 40s and, since then, he chose to rotate the strike with Shreyas Iyer (34), who is settling in at the other end. Together, they also posted a fifty-run partnership, bringing India closer to taking the lead. 

At the lunch break, 27 overs were played, and 103 runs were scored, with the Men in Blue losing 2 wickets in Yashasvi Jaiswal (80) and Shubman Gill (23). Root dismissed the dangerous Jaiswal in the first over of the day, and Tom Hartley finally claimed a wicket, dismissing the struggling Gill. India trail by 24 runs as of writing the article.

Reflecting on Day 1, Jaiswal had reached his half-century, scoring 50 runs in 47 balls, while captain Rohit Sharma contributed 24 runs off 27 balls. Before that, England, who had won the toss, chose to bat and posted 246 runs before being all out. 

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England skipper Ben Stokes, who reached his half-century, posed a challenge to the Men in Blue, but his innings was halted at 70 by Jasprit Bumrah. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets each, while Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah had two, disrupting the visitors' batting lineup.

Teams:

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Ben Foakes(w), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, Jack Leach