India vs England, 1st Test: KL Rahul declares, ‘I wanted to go out there and grab the opportunity’ after 84 runs knock- India opener batsman KL Rahul played one of the innings of his lifetime to secure his place in India playing XI. While the Indian middle-order looked choppy, Rahul ensured he stood tall against England pacers. He soldiered his innings to help India take lead in their first innings as wickets kept tumbling at the other end. His heroics with the bat included 84 runs off 212 deliveries. It included a disciplined batting comprising 12 fours.
Speaking at post-match presentation, Rahul stated that he likes to play in England owing to its pleasant weather. He loves facing the challenge against world-class bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
“Anything in the last two years, I have learnt that need to be ready to do different things. I have been asked to do different roles a lot of times and I quite enjoy doing it. This was another opportunity for myself to go out there and challenge myself. When the opportunity presented itself, I wanted to go out there, grab and make the most of it,” KL Rahul told the reporters.
“It was a good wicket, I would not say it was unplayable or anything, having to play against the likes of James Anderson, Stuart Broad in these conditions is no batter’s dream. I love challenges and I wanted to challenge myself and do the best I can. Having played here four years ago, I learned a few things from that tour, I worked on it,” he added.
India vs England, 1st Test: KL Rahul declares, ‘I wanted to go out there and grab the opportunity’ after 84 runs knock
The innings from KL Rahul comes just a couple of weeks after his Test ton during the practice match against Durham. The right-handed batsman continued to defy the England bowlers with dogged determination as India took a crucial 95 runs lead against England. He was unfazed as he played close to his body and left most of the deliveries on the fourth and fifth off-stump channel. He also struck a wonderful cover drive out of the closet when he sent a Stuart Broad delivery to the boundary.
Ind vs Eng LIVE score, 1st Test
He was the sixth wicket to perish for India but ensured India had crossed England’s innings before getting caught out to Sam Curran off Ollie Robinson. He also stretched a fifty runs lead with R Jadeja as India took control against England after the middle-order debacle.
The timely innings mean it would be tough for Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw to compete with KL Rahul for the opening position.
It is notable that KL Rahul was making his comeback for India after almost a couple of years. He has last featured during the India tour of the West Indies in August 2019. He has an impressive record away from home where he has slammed 4 tons.
KL Rahul in England- Latest first
84, 149, 37, 0, 19, 36, 23, 10, 8, 13, 4
Away from home
| Venue | Inns | NO | 100s | 50s | 0s | HS | Runs | Avg | S/R | Ca | St |
| Home | 22 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 199 | 885 | 44.25 | 59.76 | 5 | 0 |
| Away | 39 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 158 | 1178 | 31.00 | 52.99 | 36 | 0 |
| Overall | 61 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 199 | 2063 | 35.57 | 55.70 | 47 | 0 |
credits: Howstat
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Zaheer Khan impressed by KL Rahul, compares him to Rahul Dravid
“Rahul also held the wicketkeeping gloves for the team and Rahul did the same as well. It could either be the Bangalore connection or the connection of their names but he’s very talented too. Rahul Dravid has done so much for India that this show won’t suffice to talk about it. But yes, seeing such a role model who has done so much for the team compared to him and seeing that he’s being looked at with the same eyes, KL Rahul would be very happy,” Zaheer told Cricbuzz.
India vs England, 1st Test: KL Rahul declares, ‘I wanted to go out there and grab the opportunity’ after 84 runs knock
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