Afghanistan coach Richard Pybus did a trick on Saturday. KL Rahul When the Indian opener chose not to walk despite edging the ball behind the stumps. Rahul was then batting on 16 and went on to complete his 12th Test century.He was bowled on the first ball of the 11th over. Ziaur RehmanRahul survived what appeared to be a clear nick on TV replays, but Afghanistan did not appeal for a catch behind. None other than Rahmanullah GarbazThe one standing at second slip looked convinced, and captain Heshmatullah Shahidi decided against taking DRS. However, there was a clear deviation, and UltraEdge later confirmed the edge.“I think it balances out better. I don’t have a problem if a guy stands up,” Pybus told reporters at the end of the day’s play.“Sometimes they get bad calls. Sometimes they get a little grace. Sometimes you don’t know it. Sometimes you get a feather and you don’t realize it,” he added.Defending stoutly against the Afghanistan attack on a seemingly flat track, Rahul played some beautiful strokes, looking disciplined without being particularly threatening. There were nine fours in his innings and, barring that edge which went unappealed, Rahul displayed excellent defensive technique. However, he looked tentative at the start of his innings before returning to form.“I’m really happy that I could get some time in between and switch it from T20 to Test cricket in a few days. And that was the happiest thing. But yeah, it was really hot, so I didn’t have much time to feel happy or satisfied with the way I was batting. I was just tired,” Rahul said at the end of his Day 1 cast.“The ball just wasn’t coming. It was a really slow and low wicket, which we expected.“I had to make that switch and get used to spending time in the middle, getting used to letting the ball come to you and setting your Test game plan in your head. So yeah, the few days we spent here really helped. I just took that training into the game, enjoyed getting out in the middle and playing some good old Test cricket,” he added.It was almost the perfect opening day for India as KL Rahul and the captain scored centuries. Shabman Gul Taking them to a commanding 368/3 at stumps.
