KL Rahul: Batting in the second innings was tougher

KL Rahul refused to do a comparative analysis of the two centuries he scored in the Duleep Trophy final, but admitted that batting in the second innings was "more challenging with the pitch becoming slower."

"The ball was not coming onto the bat, as there was variable bounce. The odd ball is turning and the cracks are getting wider," Rahul told reporters at the end of the day's play today.

Rahul felt that playing through the line was difficult in the second innings due to the slowness of the pitch.

"Today, unlike the first innings, I was not comfortable at the beginning. It was difficult to hit through the line. Today, I edged a few, missed a few but was prepared to stay positive. I waited a bit longer to go for my shots," Rahul, who still managed a strike-rate of above 90 in his unbeaten 121 off 132 balls, said.

Asked why he employed the sweep shots so often, Rahul said, "Since the ball was keeping low, it wasn't easy to hit down the ground as I might have got caught for not getting required elevation. So, decided to play the sweep shot."

What kind of target is 301, Rahul said, "More than challenging. It was a wicket where you didn't feel set for a long time."

He rated Pankaj Singh and Ishwar Pandey as Central's best bowlers.

"Pankaj and Ishwar bowled good areas in the first spell and again in the second spell. As we have seen that one wicket leads to another, it was important for set batsman to continue. it's good that Aparajith has also got set. At this point my only aim is to win the Trophy. It will be my fourth trophy this year having won the Ranji, Irani and Vijay Hazare Trophy for Karnataka."

Rajasthan batsman Robin Bist, meanwhile, felt that he made amends for his poor shot selection in the first innings.

"I was feeling guilty for having played that shot in the first innings. Today, I kept telling myself that I am the set batsman and shouldn't get out. Although ball was keeping low, it was still good for batting. It was a different century as I was under a lot of pressure," he concluded.