India vs England: Sunil Gavaskar lavishes praise on KL Rahul

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar presented a flurry of compliments for KL Rahul following the conclusion of Day 3 of the opening Test. By the final session of the third day in the opening India vs England Test, the visitors claimed the bat again, starting with a 7-run lead against the hosts. The 471-run total scored earlier was threatened by a century from Ollie Pope and a near-ton by Harry Brook. However, the brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah ensured that England didn't mount a lead on his team. KL Rahul, meanwhile, joined the attack, opening the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal. While Jaiswal could not emulate his brilliance from the first innings again, Rahul held the fort till stumps, departing unbeaten at 47.

Sunil Gavaskar hails KL Rahul at the end of Day 3 of the first India vs England Test

KL Rahul arrived in the first India vs England Test after smashing a ton for India A to kick off his England tour. Furthermore, the opener polished his form in the intra-squad match at Kent, getting off the mark with a half-century. With the retirement of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul has claimed a seemingly permanent spot at the top of the order. Opening the match at Headingley with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul looked in the right flow to go big. However, the batter fell short of a half-century, edging one against Brydon Carse and departing at 42.

While KL Rahul failed to convert the stable start into a big score, the 91-run partnership for the first wicket set the perfect tone for the visitors in the opening innings. Jaiswal, playing his maiden Test on English soil, went on to score a century. Moreover, captain Shubman Gill and later Rishabh Pant further bolstered the team's performance with respective centuries, putting up 471 on the board by Day 2.

The bowling innings, meanwhile, saw the brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah. Amid the wayward bowling of the likes of Siraj, Prasidh, and Shardul, England charged till 464. While Siraj and Prasidh showed up on Day 3, it was the five-wicket haul by Jasprit Bumrah that ensured India's lead, however minute. Meanwhile, KL Rahul and Jaiswal came out to bat in the final session of Day 3 with an aim to extend the lead. However, Jaiswal, rattled by his disappointing drops in the field, fell against Brydon Carse early in the session, departing at 4 off 11.

KL Rahul, however, kept up his charge. The opener took fluently to Carse and Josh Tongue, showcasing his eye-pleasing flicks and drives. His cover drive against Tongue emerged as one of the most technically sound shots in the match. Partnering with Sai Sudharsan, Rahul, who is also now the senior-most batter in the Indian lineup, guided the debutant as well. Sudharsan, who opened his Test career with a duck, managed to extend his stay this time around.

Sudharsan found his shots but came undone against the English skipper, Ben Stokes. The skipper lured Sudharsan into a flick which the batter could not keep down and ended up hitting right into the hands of Zak Crawley at mid-wicket. Shortly after, Day 3 concluded a bit early as rain hit the venue and the umpires called for stumps despite Ben Stokes bargaining for a few more overs. India ended the third day of the India vs England Test at 90, with KL Rahul unbeaten at 47.

At the conclusion of Day 3 of the India vs England Test, former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar spoke up on the positive impact made by KL Rahul. Sunil Gavaskar explained that KL Rahul exemplifies what it means to be a team-first cricketer, though the Indian opener still hasn’t fully tapped into his potential. Rahul’s Test career has lacked consistency in terms of role, with the batter frequently shifting positions in the lineup, making it difficult for him to cement a permanent place. In his praise for the batter, Gavaskar noted that even Rahul himself is not aware of how good a player he is.

“Total team man. He has even been asked to keep wickets. He does that for the team, and that's what you want in the team. You see the way he reacts to the situation. He's got an equanimity about him, which is so rare because in today's day and age where everybody's got to be doing things to show that they have achieved something, his celebrations are also muted. One thing everybody agrees about KL Rahul is that he doesn't know how good a player he is. I mean, he would agree,” Gavaskar said.