KL Rahul had exceptional control and patience to score his fourth Test century in England and second at Lord’s on Day 3 of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The Karnataka batter had to wait till 98 since Rishabh Pant’s disastrous run out was the final action before the lunch break. However, Rahul’s attention was unaffected by the 40-odd-minute wait.

Rahul poked forward off the fourth ball of India’s 67th over, knocking a nice length delivery from Jofra Archer wide of mid-off and scampered through for a quick single to get his century. He reached the critical three-figure mark with 176 deliveries.

Since 2000, only Graeme Smith has scored more hundreds as a visiting opener in England than Rahul. The Indians’ opener removed his helmet, lifted both arms, and basked in the applause of the crowd and his teammates. He smashed 13 boundaries over his innings, which exuded calm and class.

India would have preferred KL Rahul to continue and turn his century into a larger knock.

However, Shoaib Bashir’s stint at the crease came to an end in the following over. Rahul was enticed into hitting a casual push through the cover zone, but there was little turn on offer for the off-spinner, and the edge carried through to Harry Brook at first slip. The 33-year-old hitter was upset, but he knew he had to keep going, with India still trailing England by several runs in the first innings. He grudgingly went off the pitch, to a loud cheer from the spectators and his teammates.

Irrespective of his dismissal right after reaching the landmark, Rahul’s innings will be remembered for a very long time because of the amount of control he had while batting against the England bowlers.

Here’s a look at how the cricket fraternity reacted to his knock on social media: