KL Rahul accepted responsibility for the stumble that saw India slip from a commanding 247 for 3 to 254 for 5 either side of the lunch break at Lord’s on Saturday, admitting his desire to reach a hundred before the interval “changed the momentum” of the innings.
India had scored briskly – 103 runs in the morning – when Shoaib Bashir began what everyone assumed would be the final over before lunch. Rahul, 98 not out, nudged a single off the first ball, prompting Rishabh Pant to mutter that a boundary chance had gone begging. Two deliveries later Pant was run-out by a sharp Ben Stokes direct hit, departing for 74. In the second over after lunch, Rahul feathered Bashir behind, handing the off-spinner his only wicket of the innings and leaving two fresh batters to rebuild.
“Not ideal,” Rahul said afterwards. “There was a conversation a couple of overs before that: I told him (Pant) that I will get my hundred if possible before lunch. And with Bashir bowling that last over before lunch I thought there’s a good chance for me to get it, but, yeah, unfortunately I hit straight to the fielder.
“It was a ball that I could have hit for a boundary. Then he just wanted me to rotate strike and see if he could put me back on strike. But, yeah, it shouldn’t have happened: a run-out at that stage really changed the momentum.
“It was disappointing for both of us. Obviously, nobody wants to throw their wicket like that.”
Until Pant’s mishap the pair looked untroubled, adding 132 at better than four an over and leaving England’s attack searching for answers on a surface beginning to flatten. Bashir, on debut, had offered a touch of control but little penetration; Stokes, juggling his limited bowling resources, was already looking towards the second new ball.
Rahul’s dismissal two overs into the afternoon meant the new ball found Shreyas Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja instead of two set centurions in waiting. The Indian middle order battled hard but could not fully recover the initiative. As Rahul acknowledged, “You had set batters in the top five who had gotten off to starts, so ideally you want one of them or both to go on and get a big score and that’s how you get ahead in a Test match.”
India’s tendency to let key moments slip has been a theme all series – the scoreline is 1-1 when many inside the camp feel it could easily be 2-0. Rahul did not shirk that point. “Across the three matches we’ve committed untimely errors,” he said. “We’ve hurt ourselves.”
Personal form, though, is a source of quiet satisfaction. Since a second-innings 137 in Leeds, Rahul has looked every inch an opener at ease in English conditions. A fifty in Birmingham confirmed as much, and Saturday’s 106 – his second Lord’s hundred – added his name to the Honours Board again. Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar, in commentary, noted: “Rahul hasn’t put a foot wrong.”
That said, Rahul knows milestones cannot outweigh match situations. “Runs are nice,” he said with a shrug, “but wins matter more.”
Pant, meanwhile, cut a rueful figure in the dressing-room, spending much of the afternoon perched on the balcony, pads still on, studying replays of his dismissal. No official word came from the wicketkeeper, yet his frustration was plain to see. In recent years he has turned reckless moments into match-winning bursts; on this occasion the risk backfired.
India still have time to shape the contest, but the window is narrowing. England’s lower order have prospered late in each Test, and Stokes will fancy a decisive surge once again. For Rahul, the task is refreshingly simple: forget the honours board, seize the moments, and keep the scoreboard moving – preferably without the dramatics.
“Lessons learned,” he said, packing away his kit. “Let’s see how quickly we can put them into action.”
