Sublime Rahul steps up, Jadeja piles on the agony

Their efforts allow India to end the second day of the first Test vs England with a healthy 175-run lead

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The mark of good batters is how they adapt to various conditions. Depending on the surface, they adjust their backlift, know when to change their stance, make use of the crease, which balls to play shots against and which to leave alone.

The difference between playing at Centurion to the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad can be as different as chalk and cheese. The track in South Africa offers good bounce and carry, and at the Uppal stadium, the low and slow track offers a very difference challenge.

In his last three Tests, KL Rahul has looked equally at home on both surfaces. A month ago at SuperSport Park against South Africa, he had scored a superb 101, rated as one of the best innings by an Indian overseas. On Friday, he produced an equally classy knock in his backyard to once again show why the Indian team management considers him indispensable, goes out of the way to accommodate him in the playing XI. When in form, he is world class.

"The hundred in South Africa has given me some confidence.

The aim was to stay positive when I went out to bat. Very different to that of South Africa (on the pitch) a bit of turn, it became slower and slower as the ball went old. It was a challenge, I had to wait for my opportunity to play shots," Rahul said during his post-match interview.