Picture Credit: Twitter/ECB
The ongoing Test match between India and England at Trent Bridge was set for a thrilling day of cricket with the match very evenly poised ahead of start on Day 3. With India starting the day on 125/4, the onus was on KL Rahul to take the visitors to a commanding position in first innings. The Indian opener, who was included in the side after injuries to Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal, certainly lived up to the expectations as he grasped his opportunity with both hands.
The 29-year-old looked the most comfortable Indian batsman at Trent Bridge as he showed solid technique, incredible resilience and application during his gritty knock. Rahul silenced all his critics in style as he played some gorgeous shots and scored 84 runs off 214 deliveries. He looked very determined and focused during his knock, a glimpse of which was seen in the 50th over during an incident.
Robinson vs Rahul at Trent Bridge
From Anderson vs Kohli to Broad vs Rohit, there were quite a few battles to watch out for coming into the first Test. However, one face-off that turned quite exciting was the one between KL Rahul and Ollie Robinson. Although the English pacer troubled all the Indian batsmen with his consistent line and length, Rahul had a slight upper hand against him. The right-handed batsman looked unperturbed against him which was continuously frustrating the pacer.
As a result, Robinson eventually lost his cool in the 50th over of the innings. It was the second delivery of the over as Rahul tried to play a leg glance but missed it as the ball struck his thigh pads. As he ran to complete the run, Robinson slyly gave him a shoulder nudge at the non-striker's end when the pacer was returning towards his bowling mark.
The replays confirmed that it was an intentional act by the English player. However, it was KL Rahul's reaction that impressed everyone as he did not make any fuss about it and did not even bother to say a word to the bowler.
Watch the video here:
It was clear that Rahul was in no mood to get into any fight as he let his bat do the talking in Nottingham. On the back of his brilliant innings and some valuable contributions from the lower middle-order, India posted a total of 278 to secure an important 95-run lead in the first innings.