He made 42 in the first innings and is unbeaten on 100 in the second innings.
India opener KL Rahul silenced his critics with a dogged hundred (100* off 202 balls) against England on Day 4 of the Headingley Test. His knock includes 13 boundaries with a few classy cover drives. He notched up his ninth Test hundred under pressure and put India in a dominating position. Rahul also gave a strong answer to Cheteshwar Pujara, who had issued a warning that the Karnataka batter needs to convert his starts into a big score.
“Technically, he’s one of the most correct batsmen in the Indian Test team, and the way he times the ball, the way his footwork is, the way he judges the length, he looks like he’s a complete Test player. But at the same time, he has to score big runs, and he’s capable enough, but there are times where he gets off to a good start and then he gets out,” Cheteshwar Pujara said on the broadcast.
Pujara reckoned the 33-year-old as a complete Test player and lauded his solid technique. However, he cautioned him to convert his starts into big scores. Notably, Rahul looked good in the first innings till he edged one in the slips on 42.
“We saw in the first innings. It was a perfect time for him to capitalise. He gave us a good start, but after that, it was a bit disappointing to see him get out. But now this innings, it looks like he has started off really well once again. He’s batting on 47. If he gets to that 50 mark, because that’s a nervous time for KL Rahul. Once he crosses his 50, then most of the time he converts it into a big one. So, let’s hope that he carries on from here and then gets a big one,” he added.
In the second innings, Rahul was unbeaten on 47 at stumps on Day 3. India were looking to take control of the game on Day 4. But the skipper Shubman Gill departed on the very first ball of Day 4, and the pressure was piling on Rahul. The visitors needed a strong start, and Rahul provided it. The opener kept his nerves calm and built a strong partnership with the vice-captain Rishabh Pant to steer India into a strong position. He displayed great discipline against the pacers and scored the majority of the runs whenever the bowler pitched anything fuller. In the process, Rahul answered his critics with the bat.
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KL Rahul is currently with the second-most runs in the current Indian squad after all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who generally bats at No.7. Notably, no other batter from the top six spots have played more than 50 tests. Additionally, this is his third tour to England, and he has amassed over 700 runs in 20 innings on English soil. He also has a couple of fifties and as many hundreds to his name in the UK.
At the time of completing this report, India hold a lead of 240 runs at the loss of three wickets. Rahul (100) and Pant (82) are unbeaten on the crease. The fourth-wicket partnership has yielded 142 runs from 225 balls so far. For the English, Brydon Carse has taken two wickets while skipper Ben Stokes has one dismissal to his name.
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