Ahmedabad, Oct 3 (NationPress) In-form opener KL Rahul achieved a remarkable unbeaten 11th Test century while Shubman Gill contributed a solid fifty, securing India a commanding 56-run lead over the West Indies during the lunch break on day two of the first Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.

In the morning session, India scored 97 runs, losing only Gill, and reached 218/3 in 67 overs by the time lunch arrived. Rahul resumed his innings at 53 and dodged a potential dismissal in the first over when an edge off Jayden Seales went between the slip and keeper.

The West Indies adopted a defensive strategy early on by fielding just one slip, a decision that backfired as Rahul took advantage of the chance and notched his second Test century at home. He walked off at lunch with an impressive score of 100 off 192 balls, featuring 12 fours, while wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel remained steady at 14 not out.

Gill faced a challenging phase as the West Indies bowlers attempted to trap him lbw due to his tendency to lean forward. However, he later found his rhythm, scoring his eighth Test fifty, which was also his first half-century at home as India’s Test captain, showcasing his signature short-arm pulls and crisp drives.

Just when he looked set for a potentially bigger score, Roston Chase deceived him into a reverse sweep, leading to his dismissal at 50 off 100 balls, with five boundaries to his name. This dismissal marked the only breakthrough for the West Indies in a session where their bowlers occasionally found turn from the rough but failed to maintain sustained pressure.

The pitch displayed variable bounce, largely due to the rough created by Seales’ follow-through, which Chase and Khary Pierre attempted to exploit. Yet, after a shaky start, Rahul appeared increasingly at ease with his soft-handed defense, late cuts, and various sweeps.

Just before the lunch break, Rahul reached his century with a single past diving mid-wicket and celebrated by raising his bat in one hand while playfully sticking two fingers of the other hand into his mouth, a touching tribute to his daughter born in March this year.

With seven wickets still in hand and Rahul in excellent form, thanks to technical refinements that have elevated his home average to nearly 50 over the past year, India aims to extend their lead further into the second session and bat the West Indies out of contention.

Brief Scores: West Indies 162 in 44.1 overs (Justin Greaves 32; Mohammed Siraj 4-40) trail India 218/3 in 67 overs (KL Rahul 100 not out, Shubman Gill 50; Roston Chase 2-37, Jayden Seales 1-35) by 56 runs