After an ill-advised pull shot off Australian paceman Pat Cummins caused his dismissal for 60, India opener wants to score the knock he has been waiting for in this series
India opener KL Rahul drives one along the ground during his 60 on Day Two of the Dharamsala Test against Australia yesterday. Pic/PTI
ADVERTISEMENT
In an age where Test cricket very often witnesses quick-scoring, India didn't really have their skates on as they ended Day Two of the series-deciding fourth and final Test against Australia at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium with 248 for six in 91 overs yesterday. KL Rahul, the 24-year-old Bangalorean opening batsman, who top-scored with a fighting 121-ball 60, indicated that the slow-scoring was a ploy. And if his post-day utterances are anything to go by, the India camp is not displeased. "We're happy with 250 runs and six wickets. It wasn't really the worst day for us. All of us got starts, but couldn't convert (them into big scores)," said Rahul.
No ton, but consistent
He has yet to score a century in this series, but cannot be accused of being inconsistent. Once again, he emerged as one of the better India batsmen on the day as he has been throughout this series, with scores of 64 in the first innings in Pune, followed by 51 and 90 in the two innings at Bangalore and 67 in Ranchi.
"I am a little disappointed that I've not converted the starts and got big runs for the team. As an opening batsman, my responsibility is to spend as much time in the middle, try and get big scores in the first innings, so we don't have to bat in the second innings," he said at the post-day press conference.
There was some bad news for the Aussies when he said, "Hopefully, one good knock in the second innings might just be the knock I've been waiting for the whole series."
Giving Rahul company for the better part of the day was another hardworking batsman, Cheteshwar Pujara (57 off 151 balls). They put on an impressive 87 runs, the highest second-wicket stand by the hosts in this series. And given the way the other specialist Indian batsmen fared (Murali Vijay 11 off 36, Karun Nair 5 off 16 and skipper Ajinkya Rahane 46 off 104)) it just emphasised the manner in which Rahul and Pujara went about their job on a wicket that offered liberal bounce not only to the Aussie quicks Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins but also to their leading off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who finished with 4-67 off 28 overs.
Rahul's knock, studded with nine fours and a six, was particularly impressive given its fluency amidst the fiery Cummins, who was consistently steaming in close to or above 140 kmph.
The only times when Rahul probably struggled were when, on 10, he helplessly edged a 146-kmph Cummins delivery to the slips where Matt Renshaw had no clue what brushed past his fingers. The ball headed to the fence. And then, when he was dismissed, trying to hook a Cummins bouncer but only managing to bottom-edge it for David Warner to take the catch.
Challenging phase
Cummins and Hazlewood were fast, furious and were not going to miss out thriving on a helpful Dharamsala strip. "The first session was really tough and challenging. I had to leave the balls outside off-stump, leave the bouncers, but I was enjoying it. I haven't been challenged with swing and bounce. It was good facing Josh and Cummins bowling with a lot of heart.
"Cummins was fast; he was accurate. This wicket's obviously helping them too. The conditions were nice and cool, so they could bowl longer spells. Cummins has been the guy who has, as a fast bowler, challenged us in this series," said Rahul.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
