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Indian team's opener KL Rahul batted brilliantly on the first day (15 August) of the Galle Test against Sri Lanka. He had scored 77 runs till tea-break. However, he could not come out to bat in the last session. He had come to the crease with fellow batsman Devdutt Padikkal but had to go out due to repeated cramps. Rahul had pain and strain in his right hand. Sri Lankan captain Dhananjay de Silva also helped him stretch his hand but the pain did not subside.

Rahul also started having cramps in the fingers of his left hand. Apart from his hands, he also got severe cramps in his legs, due to which he limped out of the field with the help of physio. Captain Shubman Gill came to the crease after he retired hurt. Gill scored 16 runs in 28 balls. Rishabh Pant was sent to bat after Gill was out. Indian team's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said that Rahul had recovered by the end of the day. He said that if the opportunity arises on the second day, Rahul can come to bat. By the end of the first day, India scored 288 runs at the loss of 2 wickets. Padikkal is 131, while Pant is at the crease after scoring 27 runs. Due to rain, the start of the second day's play is being delayed.

'Rahul is absolutely fine'

Kotak told that Rahul was suffering from muscle strain and he has recovered. He said, 'KL batted very well. I think he was just having a muscle strain. By the end of the day he was fine. When you start having a strain it could be in the hamstring, groin or even the hand but at the moment he seems to be absolutely fine. So hopefully he will be fully ready to play tomorrow.

What did Kotak say on Rahul's batting?

Praising Rahul's flexibility, Kotak said that he plays in the lower order in ODI cricket, while he opens in Tests, which makes him a very useful player. The batting coach said, 'He is a very useful player for the team. In red ball cricket, he opens the innings and in ODIs, he bats where needed. The way he is batting right now, he is taking a lot of responsibility, trying to build partnerships and that is a great thing. He has been performing well consistently.

The pitch of Galle looked suitable for batting on the first day. Kotak believes that the pitch will be helpful to the spinners as the game progresses. He said that the pitch is a bit dry and is good for batting at the moment. Kotak admitted that only one day's play has happened and Team India still has a long way to go.