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KL Rahul has been a force to reckon with in the ongoing Test series between India and England. The flamboyant right-handed batter proved his batting prowess once again, this time with a well-crafted century on Day 3 of the third Test against England at Lord's. This marked his second ton of the series. After the Day 3's play, Rahul expressed his fondness for batting in the opening position. Not just that, the elegant India opener disclosed that he has been working on improving his reaction time with the guidance of coaches who also work in Formula 1. So far in the series, Rahul has arguably appeared to be the most confident batter. His ability to leave the ball effectively and play late has been crucial to his success in the English conditions. Having previously batted in various positions in the batting order, he is now happy to be batting in his preferred opening slot for the foreseeable future.
I spent some time with F1 coaches for some mental drills to improve my reaction time: KL Rahul
"I spent some time with an expert for some mental drills to improve my reaction times. Seen this in Formula One. Worked with coaches who work with F1 guys and adventure sport. That's the only thing which has been different. I always enjoy batting long hours. I have strived for consistency all my career. Happy that performances are coming through now," Rahul said at the press conference after after Day 3.
Rahul has been putting in the hard yards to bring his A game to the fore and all his hard work is paying dividend now. The 33-year-old veteran said that all his career he strived to be consistent and perform on a consistent basis, and things are falling in place for him in the ongoing series.
“I've always enjoyed batting long periods of time even when I was growing up. Even when I played junior cricket, I always enjoyed batting long hours and I could focus for long hours. I think a bit of that and a bit of this has just helped me in the last few years. That's something that I've strived for all my career is to be consistent and perform on a consistent basis. So I'm happy that the performances are coming through in the last few years,” he added.
Rahul (100 off 177) found an able partner in Rishabh Pant to steady India's boat and take them to 387, in parity with England. He forged a solid 141-run partnership with Pant, who chipped in with a crucial 74. This was followed by a steady contribution from Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 72, and Nitish Reddy, who added 30 runs.
By the close of Day 3, England were 2/0 with both the openers Zak Crawley 92*) and Ben Duckett (0*) intact on the crease. The day also saw a fare share of drama towards the end when Zak Crawley's time-wasting antics in the final over drew Shubman Gill's ire and the two involved in fiery exchange.
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