Rahul the bearded poet, Rahul the central protagonist

The P Sara Test began for the Indians like a grim Russian novel and ended with the unexpected tumbles of the daily soaps. The central protagonist who featured at both ends was a young man who will continue to show up in future episodes, even if some at a stretch, some interrupted.

KL Rahul's innings was an act of flourish and splendor with a twisting bitter end that could be set aside if it is his team who can dominate the story now. Let us not pick nits; a total of 319 for 6 marks the return of some confidence to India's batting. Rahul's second Test century in his fourth Test was built through the tale of two partnerships. Alongside two ends of India's batting spectrum in the confidence game - captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

One man was determined to personally, if not single-handedly, pull his team out of the funk of Galle. The other sought to break free of his repeated batting bloopers on an island where cricket carries a disarming manner and latent peril. Rahul's role in the 219 runs put up for the third and fourth wickets with these two were both valuable and revealing.

With this, India were able to take a deep breath after the defeat at Galle and return into the pit. Kohli walked in at 12 for 2 inside the first half hour of play and showed Rahul what was to be done. If there had been a volume of words before this Test from the Indian camp, Rahul and Kohli followed it up with fine deeds.

Under his helmet, Rahul has the face of a bearded poet trying to look seriously older than his real age; from the distance he could be easily sketched as a stick figure, his stance angular, stork-like, with clear ends and edges. Not the bad kinds of edges, only one of those being spilt by Jehan Mubarak at gully when Rahul was on 11 and India 20 for 2.

Kohli was at the other end, playing partner and psychologist, chatting to Rahul, egging him on, applauding everything he did - be it getting under a bouncer, playing a forward defensive or guiding the ball to the third man rope. Rahul's clean ball-striking slotted in well alongside Kohli's wristy curliques through cover and midwicket.

The first hour at P Sara is said to have movement and carry for seam bowlers, but this version didn't have as much sting as expected. Spin came on in the 15th over, and the Indian response, particularly Rahul, who had a grim game in Galle scoring 7 and 5, would have given the team's harried support staff some solace.

Rahul was precise, using the depth of the crease, his footwork decisive, getting ahead to quash movement to turn the strike over rather than hit the ball out of the ground. He worked the inexperienced Tharindu Kaushal over meticulously, taking 14 singles off the 37 balls he faced from him.

In an off-field chat Rahul had with Aakash Chopra at stumps, he was asked whether he had done anything different in tackling the spinners. He said that was exactly what his game was like against spin; thus adding more fodder for the theory that even though young Indian players may possess the game to tackle spin, they do not get enough opportunities to keep practising and therefore repeating their success.

Kohli's response to Herath was to leap out of the crease in his third over and deposit him down the ground for six. When opportunity presented itself to Rahul an hour later, he followed through with the same.

Rahul added 164 at more than four an over along with Kohli, partner to Rahul in Sydney during his maiden Test century after a debut from the horror movies in Melbourne.

The chatter between them was to "stay positive and have a very clear mind and good intent… there is a lot of energy and positivity when Virat comes in to bat." And no doubt a lot of conversation. Kohli's departure in the second session brought in Rohit, whose struggles have achieved cult status in India. There appeared to be far less chatter, and mostly, it was Rahul who did the talking.

"Rohit is a lot more calmer and you look at him batting you feel he is batting with ease and so much time," Rahul said. In the time Rohit settled in, the fourth-wicket partnership had rattled off 55 off 15 overs in about an hour. Rahul had got to his century, he had been through two sessions of batting but would regret the ending. At 108, shortly after tea, he was sucked into a pull off a wide bouncer and sent it skywards. Much like his dismissal on debut in Melbourne.

"Personally you do feel like you could have done a lot better and the team demands a lot more from you. Especially for me as an opening batsman the team is looking forward to."

Rahul's frequent appearances and disappearances notwithstanding - illness cost him a Test in Bangladesh, injury to M Vijay earned him a spot in Galle - he appears to be the real deal, capable of sticking it out for the fight. Should he get stuck in, India would want that fight to be extended as long as possible.

The decision to send Rahane in at No. 3 instead of Rohit did cost India an early wicket through a most un-Rahane like stroke; it, however, gave Rohit some buffer and comfort at No. 5, which was reflected in his performance. Yet, an element of the daily soaps came into play with the arrival of Stuart Binny, batting at No. 6, fitting into a role his captain described as that of a "seaming allrounder."

It is not that simple: Binny was also meant to act as the Panacea of all Problems, Successor to Kapil Dev and a distant cousin of Thor. In his 57-minute stay, he was peppered by a volley of Dushmantha Chameera short balls, then counfounded by Kaushal doosras and sudden spiteful turn.

Stonily watching him from the other end - once even looking away in the general direction of deep extra cover - was Rohit. Binny's struggles were infectious, Rohit toppling over trying to sweep Kaushal, missing the ball and surviving a leg-before appeal when on 32.

The departure of Binny had Wriddhiman Saha show up at No. 7. It gave a modicum of depth, length and stability to the Indian batting, with Rohit putting up a fifty stand with Saha inside 16 overs.

Once again, when Rohit's game was grooving along, it looked beautiful and powerful. Yet, like the Titanic, an iceberg awaited - twitchiness in the final minutes of the day, discussions with the umpire about getting a drinks man in. It was refused. A few balls later, one from Angelo Mathews ducked back and hit Rohit on the pad.

The last appearance by the Indian batsmen in this series had comprised less than 50 overs and a parade of the pressure-cooked. At the P Sara Oval, the Indian batting found a modicum of its core strength but will need more to sustain it through this game. Starting well is promising but it is work only half-done; in Galle, it is the other half that created catastrophe.