Cricketer-turned-expert Anil Kumble stated that opening batter KL Rahul will be the key man if India are to take a 2-1 lead in the third Test at Lord's Cricket Stadium against England. At stumps on Day three, the right-hand batter was unbeaten on 33 runs, with the visitors still needing 135 runs, with six wickets in hand. Rahul also scored a classy hundred in the first innings to help draw parity with England's score of 387 runs.
The 34-year-old also has a good record at Lord's Cricket Stadium. It was in 2021 during the last tour, that the opening batter's ton helped India clinch a memorable Test win at the iconic stadium in the last hour of play. With the Lord's pitch doing all sorts of tricks, the chase won't be easy for the visitors.
Speaking on JioHotstar, the former leg spinner stated that the veteran batter has to bat as deep as possible to give India a fair chance of winning.
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“KL Rahul is going to be the main man. If India is to go past this total tomorrow, he needs to be there till the end, not just give India a good start,” Kumble said.
KL Rahul needs to cash in on the dropped chance - Kumble
For the unversed, KL Rahul was dropped by Chris Woakes when the batter had not even reached a double-digit figure. Kumble observed that the right-hand batter had a scratchy start but looked confident as he started to settle in the crease.
“Early on, I thought he looked a bit like Joe Root, reaching out to the ball, and that’s when there was a chance offered to Chris Woakes. He was lucky to be dropped. But from that moment on, he started waiting for the ball to come onto him, and once he did that, he looked the part, just like he did in the first innings,” Kumble explained.
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With Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy, and Sundar to come, 135 looks easy for India. However, over the years the visitors have shown vulnerability in chasing lowish totals. It is here that Rahul's role will become all the more crucial, as he has got to a decent start and needs to kick on.
