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India's veteran batter KL Rahul has broken his silence on the dram unfolded in the final over of Day 3 in the third Test against England at Lord's. It all concluded with a dramatic sequence of events, culminating in a heated verbal exchange between Shubman Gill and Zak Crawley following latter's time-wasting antics.
KL Rahul on last-over drama on Day 3 of Lord's Test
Rahul stated that he was fully aware of Zak Crawley's intentions and understood the rationale behind his actions. Following India's first-innings total of 387, the England openers were left with only a few minutes to bat before the close of play. Zak Crawley notably delayed the proceedings on multiple occasions, seemingly aiming to ensure that only a single over was bowled before stumps, a tactic that visibly frustrated the Indian fielders. In the post-day press conference, when questioned about this incident, Rahul offered his perspective on what had occurred during those final moments.
"What happened at the end is just part of the game now. I understand from an opening batter's point of view. I know exactly what was going on and everyone knows exactly what was going on. But an opening batter will understand completely what happened in the last five minutes," Rahul said at the post Day 3's press conference.
Following Crawley's decision to call for the team's physiotherapist during the final over of the day, Indian captain Shubman Gill approached him, leading to a heated exchange between the two players. Gill was also seen apparently mocking the England opener's delaying tactics. During the press conference, Rahul was asked if he had ever witnessed Gill exhibiting such aggression previously, and whether this particular incident would further motivate the Indian team. In response, he stated:
"I have seen him fired up, but obviously we wanted to bowl two overs. There's six minutes left. It's a no-brainer that any team will bowl two overs with six minutes to go. But, it's a bit of theatrics at the end and we were all pumped up either way. We know how difficult it is for a batter to come into bat for two overs when you've been in the field all day," he added.
"We have two days from now on with both the teams probably back to back to zero after three days of hard fought cricket. We know it all comes down to day four and day five. So we'll we would have been fired up anyway," Rahul further stated.
At the close of play, the match was left delicately balanced, with England's second innings underway at 2/0 with Crawley (2*) and Ben Duckett (0*) intact on the crease.
Earlier, India concluded their first innings at 387 riding on Rahul's well-composed centurion knock. He top-scored for the visitors with a magnificent 100 from 177 deliveries. This knock etched his name in the annals of Indian cricket history, as he became only the second Indian batsman, after the legendary Dilip Vengsarkar, to score more than one Test century at the hallowed grounds of Lord's.
Rahul found a dynamic partner in Rishabh Pant, who played in his characteristic aggressive style, contributing a vital 74 runs off 112 balls. The duo forged a formidable fourth-wicket partnership of 141 runs, steering India out of a precarious position. However, their stand was broken in a moment of drama just before the lunch interval when Pant was run out by a sharp piece of fielding from Ben Stokes while attempting a risky single. Following this, Ravindra Jadeja provided further stability to the lower order, chipping in with a patient and well-compiled 72 from 131 balls, ensuring India would not concede a first-innings deficit.
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