Leeds, June 23 (IANS) Former England captain Nasser Hussain lauded K.L. Rahul for making a gritty 72 not out in the first session of the fourth day of the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series, adding that the right-handed opener is dishing out a masterclass on how to bat in English conditions.
On Monday, Rahul held the fort with his calmness and ability to absorb pressure in the face of misbehaving balls and uneven bounce to notch up his 18th Test half-century in a session where only 63 runs were made in 24.1 overs. "He is so elegant. Even when a ball goes past the outside edge, it doesn't faze him too much. If you want to learn how to bat in English conditions, he is giving you a masterclass," said Hussain on the Sky Sports’ broadcast during lunch break, with India’s lead standing at 159 runs.
With the ball moving around and a few deliveries leaping off a length, Rahul showed restraint to weather the storm well while sharing an unbroken 61-run stand with Rishabh Pant, who provided for initial chaos before settling down to be not out on 31 off 59 deliveries.
"Dinesh Karthik summed up this Rahul-Pant partnership pretty well when he said classical music from one end and hip-hop from the other. The hip-hop, Pant, has toned it down after a (frenzied) period. He had a word with himself and has got into his innings now. He has a relatively sensible head on, and Rahul has always had a sensible head on," added Hussain.
Rahul also earned a reprieve on 58 when Harry Brook dropped his catch at gully off Josh Tongue, which led to former pacer Stuart Broad explaining why a lot of dropped catches have occurred in the ongoing game from both teams.
"I have more empathy for fielders dropping catches now that I am not playing and they are not coming off my bowling! Headingley is a difficult viewing ground - you can lose the ball in the stands, and when the clouds are in, certain bits are a bit darker. You only have to lose sight for 0.1 of a second, and you get tense."
Broad also talked about how England could look to dislodge a gritty Rahul in the second session.
"He has driven the ball so beautifully, but last night I really enjoyed the field Stokes operated with by leaving mid-off completely open. He had a square extra cover and tempted Rahul to drive straighter.”
“England have the option of going short to him for some time, like India did to Jamie Smith. Maybe that gets him out of his comfort zone and his shell, and he might make a mistake. I think England will be a little bit flat. It didn't quite happen for them."
"A few balls went up, but not in a particularly threatening way. Carse was superb, setting the tone in the first 45 minutes, but they probably needed two or three wickets to break the game open. India never got away, but England need to strike after lunch," he concluded.
KL Rahul used his vast experience well to hit an unbeaten 72 in a testing session for India as their lead swelled to 159 runs after reaching 153/3 in 48 overs of their second innings at lunch on day four. Rishabh Pant was keeping him company with 31 not out.
--IANS
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