Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar showered praise on KL Rahul and Shubman Gill after the pair showed all the gumption on the fourth day’s play of the penultimate Test of the series against England. India was put straight away on the back foot as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan were sent back by Chris Woakes.
KL Rahul looked solid from the get-go whereas Gill was able to find his A-game after struggling initially. Gill was also dropped on 46 by Liam Dawson at point. While Rahul remained unbeaten on 87, the Indian captain stayed not out at 78 as the duo added 174 runs to keep England bowlers at bay.
The home team took a huge lead of 311 runs after they were bowled out for a massive score of 669, and thus Gill and Rahul’s partnership was important for the visitors.
Sanjay Manjrekar said on ESPN Cricinfo, “Brilliant. Hats off to KL Rahul first because he was like a security blanket for India. He didn’t put a foot wrong. Shubman Gill had some issues to begin with. A bit lucky with the dropped catch. But post-tea, the kind of avatar that we saw of Shubman Gill, is just something that has bowled me over. The kind of mental reserve and grit that they show match after match. You have to take you hats off to these batters.”
Meanwhile, England have bowled 63 overs, and ergo the new ball will be due after 17 overs on the final day. Manjrekar added that the second new ball will present a challenge for the Indian batters along with the first 30 minutes of the day’s play.
Manjrekar said, “The first 30 minutes will be crucial. It’s a very clichéd term that we all use. But, it will be, purely because of the overnight rest and the pitch tends to be a little fresh. The English bowlers will also come in with renewed energy. Having said that, both Shubman Gill and KL Rahul have enough experience to know that this is crucial.
“The second new ball is due after 17 overs. That’s where I think the next big challenge comes. If India lose one wicket, then the left-handers come in and then suddenly Ben Stokes has another bowler [Liam Dawson] to put pressure on India, as a left-arm spinner bowling into the rough,” he concluded.
Indian batters will need to be at their best on the final day’s play to get a draw.
