The calmness you feel while watching KL Rahul bat, especially in the ongoing England series, is something else. During Day 3 of the Lord’s Test, it seemed like could put no foot wrong. KL Rahul just kept going, kept the scoreboard ticking with some fantastic shots, and showcased his quick thinking.
This wasn’t the case a few years ago, as KL Rahul kept going in and out of the side, playing various roles—sometimes at the top, sometimes shuffled around the order. He was India’s utility man. But in this new-look Indian side, KL Rahul has been reinstalled at the top—something he always wanted and craved. After all, this is where he has excelled, having scored 3,139 runs as an opener.
KL Rahul’s second century of the series, aided by Rishabh Pant (74) and Ravindra Jadeja’s (72) supporting acts, saw India draw level with England’s first innings score of 387 in the closing minutes of play on Day 3 of the Lord’s Test. India’s overnight batters stretched their partnership to 141 to keep England at bay for nearly all morning before falling on either side of the Lunch break. Jadeja then stitched two crucial half-century stands to push India close but the English pacers packed up the tail cheaply to prevent a lead.
Day 3 : Morning Session : Rishabh Pant’s needless run-out sours a productive morning session on Day 3 for India
Jofra Archer erred in his line right way and Pant flicked him to the fine leg fence to get going on the third morning, before dancing down the track to slash one over the infield and make it an expensive opening over. Archer quickly course-corrected and consistently hit speeds of 140+ kmph in his second over to keep the batters in check. For a 31-ball period thereon, India didn’t manage a single run off the bat.
KL Rahul then broke the shackles and raced into the 70s with a flurry of boundaries. First-change bowler Brydon Carse came in the firing line with the two leg-side freebies clipped to the deep square leg fence and a short-and-wide delivery steered through the gap between gully and point with perfection.
KL Rahul brought up the 200 for India on the other side of an extended drinks break that saw a second ball-change of the session already in the space of 11 overs. Ben Stokes, who had brought himself on in the second half of the session, clung to the short-ball ploy trying to induce a break that never came. Even for a greatly restrained knock, Pant brought up the fifty in classic Pant style when he hooked a short one from Stokes flat over long-leg ropes, overtaking Viv Richards’ record of most sixes (34) against England in Tests with that.
England introduced spin into the attack with just over 15 minutes to go for Lunch, and Pant welcomed Shoaib Bashir into attack with a six straight down the ground first up. Stokes continued to pepper Pant with short balls, which did cause some discomfort to the Indian’s injured left hand. However, the southpaw found a way to put them away in his own style. Zak Crawley made an excellent boundary-line effort to save his team five runs when Pant tried to hook, having already fetched a four off yet another short ball from Stokes off the previous delivery.
Eventually, though, it was an inspired piece of fielding effort from the English skipper and risk of an unnecessary run at the stroke of Lunch that produced a wicket for the hosts. Eager to get on strike, KL Rahul – batting on 98 – called for a risky single after Pant defended a Bashir delivery to the off-side. Stokes sensed the batter’s hesitation and ran in from covers to nail the direct hit at the non-striker’s end, bringing curtains on Pant’s fighting knock at 74.
Pant had tried to sway it earlier, braving time in the middle, even though he was far from 100%. But injured or not, he was still him, so it was natural that he charged down the track to Archer in the first over of the day. Or that he was irked by a stretch of 25 dots and tried to break it with a reverse scoop. Or that he turned the first ball of spin he faced into his 88th six, which means he is only two short of Virender Sehwag, who holds the India record. Frenetic. Unpredictable. Captivating. Even when he makes mistakes, like with the run-out.
KL Rahul (98 not out) and Rishabh Pant (74) shared a 141-run stand to help India make steady progress in the morning session on Day 3 of the third Test at the Lord’s. The wicket offered next to nothing to the bowlers, but the fourth-wicket pair showed immaculate discipline in the first 30 minutes to respect the good balls before the runs began to flow for India.
Batting with an injury to his dominant hand, Pant claimed the joint record for highest number of fifties by a visiting wicketkeeper in England, while KL Rahul inched closer to his second century of the series as India moved along to 248/4, losing the former to an avoidable run-out at the stroke of Lunch.
Day 3 : Post Lunch Session : Jadeja, Reddy keep India pumping after KL Rahul’s departure
Unbeaten on 98 at Lunch, KLÂ Rahul got his second century at the Lord’s – and second of this series – quickly after the break but also departed the very next delivery he faced. After an immensely disciplined knock, a lapse in concentration cost him his wicket. Bashir lured him in with a flighted delivery, inducing a nick from the centurion to first slip where Harry Brook completed a low catch.
India slipped from 248 for 3 to 254 for 5 when KL Rahul was dismissed on 100, which was 11 balls later. That prompted Stokes to wind Archer and let him loose. The idea was to burst through India’s allrounders into the tail just in time for the second new ball.
The two new batters, Jadeja and Reddy, had a few nervy moments to overcome in the middle. While Jofra Archer was convinced in his LBW appeal, and Nitish Reddy distracted by it, Jadeja tried to sneak in a single. Running towards the danger end, Reddy was nowhere in the frame when Ollie Pope, from midwicket, sent in an aimless throw with to the striker’s end no one backing up to collect it, thereby giving the Indian a lifeline.
Reddy survived another run-out scare even before he could open his account. The allrounder set out for a single and was almost halfway down the wicket before turning back as Jadeja didn’t show keen interest. Had Pope again taken a moment to take a proper aim, Reddy would have been on his way for a 12-ball duck.
Day 3 : Afternoon Session : All square at Lord’s after KL Rahul’s ton and England’s late burst
Reddy’s luck finally ran out in moments into the final session when Stokes got a short ball to surprise the Indian allrounder. Reddy tentatively poked at it, and sent a faint edge behind to the ‘keeper to fall on 30. There were a fewy nervy moments for new-bat Washington Sundar early on, but Jadeja carried on undeterred and raised his third successive half-century of the series.
With Bashir still off the field, Root got to roll his arm more frequently. Occasionally he erred in his line or length, and Jadeja maximized it to add more boundary hits to his tally, even lofting him over mid-off for a maximum once. Washington too, like Jadeja, picked the part-time spinner to target while respecting the good balls from Stokes who kept a tight leash in an extended seven-over spell.
The fifty of the partnership came after drinks, and England managed to breakthrough just before their lead slid to single-digits. After a brilliant hand of 72, Jadeja was strangled down the leg-side by Woakes, and Jamie Smith pulled off a sharp low catch. Akash Deep survived two LBW shouts in his first-three deliveries with DRS coming to his rescue – the ball-tracking showing the trajectory to be missing stumps on both occasions to add to Woakes, and England’s, frustration.
Akash smashed a six off Archer before eventually falling to Carse courtesy a stunner from Brook at second slip. Woakes had his third of the innings in Jasprit Bumrah who nicked behind when the scores were levelled, and three balls later, Archer got rid of Washington on 23 to ensure India got no lead.
KL Rahul’s second century of the series, aided by Rishabh Pant (74) and Ravindra Jadeja’s (72) supporting acts, saw India draw level with England’s first innings score of 387 in the closing minutes of play on Day 3 of the Lord’s Test. India’s overnight batters stretched their partnership to 141 to keep England at bay for nearly all morning before falling on either side of the Lunch break. Jadeja then stitched two crucial half-century stands to push India close but the English pacers packed up the tail cheaply to prevent a lead.
Time-wasting allegations were levied against the England openers for trying to ensure only one over was possible in the five minutes of extra time remaining in the day after the changeover. Amidst the drama and the boos, Zak Crawley picked up a brace off Bumrah to give England the slender lead before stumps were finally drawn on a drama-filled day in London.
Road Ahead on Day 4 for England and India
Another fascinating day of play at Lord’s. This Test has been a slow-burn, but things are shaping up nicely going into the last two days. No way to say which team is ahead at this point. They couldn’t be separated on first innings with India also finishing on the same total as England – 387. There were ebbs and flows throughout the day.
The visitors dominated to begin with as KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant thwarted everything that England threw at them with the old ball. However, a run out on the stroke of lunch courtesy a piece of brilliance from captain Ben Stokes gave them the opening they desperately needed.
KL Rahul soon departed after lunch, immediately falling after raising his second hundred of the series. But if England hoped that they could blow the lower middle order away, that wasn’t the case. Ravindra Jadeja defied them, compiling useful partnerships with Nitish Reddy and Washington Sundar to ensure that they ended the day on level terms.
Spinners have got more turn on average today than they did on the first two days. Root, having bowled nine of his 10.1 overs in this session – all from the pavilion end – has got the maximum turn on average among the four spinners in this Test so far. Another 10 overs lost today after multiple stoppages. The time lost on all three days combined, it amounts to more than a session lost because of over-rate. But it’s not easy on the players in this heat either. And there isn’t much there for spin, so pacers are doing most of the running.
At the end of Day 3’s play, England are only 2 runs ahead of India in the Test matchy, which makes for potentially a fascinating contest in the final two days of the game.
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