India opener KL Rahul said he deliberately avoided curbing his natural strokeplay while making the transition from T20 cricket to the Test format, a mindset that helped him compile a patient century on the opening day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan.  

Rahul’s 100, along with captain Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 103 and Sai Sudharsan’s 81, powered India to a commanding 368/3 at stumps on Day 1 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium.

Reflecting on the challenge of moving from months of T20 cricket straight into the longest format, Rahul admitted that overthinking can often become a trap for batters.

“Sometimes you sit and overanalyse and try to play completely differently to T20 cricket. Something that I consciously tried was not to restrict my shots, but also be aware of what kind of shots I can play on this wicket against what kind of bowlers,” Rahul said after the day’s play.

The right-hander revealed that maintaining a balance between attacking instincts and Test-match discipline was central to his preparation. “That’s something that I thought about in the last week leading up to this Test match. That’s what I tried to do. In the morning, I think I did play a few shots more than what I would have played ideally, but it didn’t make me frustrated or angry at myself.”

Rahul said he was keen to continue backing his strengths rather than become overly cautious simply because he was playing red-ball cricket. “I was okay with playing shots and playing to the merit of the ball. That’s what I was trying to do more,” he added.

The opener also expressed satisfaction at how quickly he was able to adjust from the fast-paced nature of the IPL to the patience required in Test cricket. “I’m really happy that I could get some time in the middle and make that switch from T20 to Test cricket in a couple of days. That was the most pleasing thing.”

Rahul credited India’s preparation in New Chandigarh for helping him understand the nature of the surface before the match.

“It wasn’t coming on at all. It was a really slow and low sort of wicket, which we did expect. We had a few days of training here, and it was pretty similar to this. I had to get used to spending time in the middle and letting the ball come to you.”

“The few days that we spent here really helped, and I just carried that same training into the game and enjoyed being out in the middle and playing some good old Test cricket,” he said.

Rahul’s century, his 12th in Tests, anchored India’s innings after an early wicket and set the platform for a dominant opening day against Afghanistan.