Rahul, who scored a century in just his second Test against Australia in Sydney in 2015, achieved a career best score of 158, which was also the highest score by an India player in his maiden Test innings in the West Indies, surpassing the 130 made by Polly Umrigar in 1952-53.
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Visitors India earned a respectable 304-run lead, as they declared their innings on 500 for the loss of nine wickets against hosts West Indies, on Day 2 of the second of the four-match Test series at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica on Monday.
India could score only 232 runs in the 88 overs bowled on the second day to finish at 358/5 at stumps and Simmons said he could see a lot of improvement in his bowlers.
As the shadows lengthened, Ajinkya Rahane (42 not out) and Wriddhiman Saha (17 not out) shut shop, taking India to stumps with a healthy lead with three days left to play.
Rahul eventually brought up his third Test century in some style, getting to the pitch of a Chase delivery and smashing a six over long-on.
The West Indies, needing to win the encounter to level their four-match series, are yet to start their second innings, after rain and bad light forced an abandonment of the post-tea session, as well as 40 minutes before.
Pujara scored 46 off 159 balls before he was run out by a direct hit from Chase.
It was spinner Roston Chase (2/91), who bowled an off-break which Kohli tried to guide only to offer a simple catch to Rajendra Chandrika at forward short leg. Ravichandran Ashwin (3) was adjudged leg-before off a Bishoo delivery that hit the toe. But just as it looked like India would go into Lunch having lost no wickets in the day, Jason Holder struck to send back Saha off what turned out to be the final ball of the session. Rahane and Mishra then put up 31 runs, before rain halted India’s progress.
“Everyone expected at some point he would up the tempo a bit, but he just played his natural role”, said retired West Indies batting great Viv Richards of Rahane.
KL Rahul has made his mark in the limited opportunities he has got so far with the Indian team. They came in with a set plan this morning, to keep it tight and not give away easy runs. There’s still some help for the fast bowlers in the wicket, and I thought Holder bowled a very good spell before lunch. It took him over an hour to score his first run of the day and 43 balls to get his first boundary.
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Six overs later, Shane Dowrich (5) edged one behind from the toe-end of his bat, the batsman in half mind whether to leave or play at the ball. His only other hundred is 108 vs Sri Lanka at Colombo (PSS) in August 2015. In the process, Ashwin also became only the third Indian bowler to have claimed five-wicket innings hauls in three consecutive Test matches after Bhagwath Chandrasekhar and current coach Anil Kumble.
