KL Rahul played a vital role with the bat in India’s thumping 113-run victory over South Africa in the opening Test at SuperSport Park, Centurion.

Opening the innings, the classy right-hander smashed 123 to help the visitors post 327 on the board in their first innings.

The key aspect about Rahul’s innings was his judgement while leaving the deliveries outside the off-stump. He curbed his natural instinct to bat out the entire Day 1, playing 260 balls in his knock and hitting 16 fours and 1 six.

"It is something that I am enjoying doing a lot at the moment. That's the key to Test cricket as you need to enjoy leaving balls outside the off-stump," said Rahul, who earned the 'Player of the Match' for setting up India's first win in Centurion.

"I know we play a lot of one day and T20 cricket, smashing the ball all over the park is exciting and thrilling at same time, but when you come to Test cricket, learn to be disciplined, learn to play the waiting game."

He also understands that repetition could be boring but that's a sure-shot formula for success.

"Mistakes happen when you get bored of doing the same thing. I enjoyed playing defensive shots, tiring the bowlers this year since I started playing Test matches again in England."

It was KL Rahul’s seventh ton in the longest format of the game and his sixth in overseas conditions.

When asked to rank this hundred, the opener said: "Right up there in terms of conditions and wicket how challenging it was, I think this innings would be right up there for me. It took a lot of guts and determination and discipline to get a century and get my team to a winning position. So yeah, it's right up there."

India’s pace troika of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj wreaked havoc on the Proteas batting line-up in Centurion, and Rahul had special praise reserved for them.

"I would love to be there till Jasprit Bumrah is playing cricket. That's the best position to be in. (laughs), slips are a great position to be in and Shami, Bumrah and (Mohammed) Siraj are bowling, so I'd love to stay there," he said.

"To play our bowlers in the nets is more difficult, because especially for me or for many batters, we don't enjoy that much playing in the nets and add to it -- these people frighten us (laughs)...

"... and they don't treat us as teammates when they see us in the nets. They are very, very competitive people. So yes, we are very lucky to have such quality in our bowling line-up," he further remarked.

(With PTI inputs)