In spite of KL Rahul’s calmness and Rishabh Pant’s aggressive caution, England could not manage to make any substantial inroads in the early hours of Day 3. The Indian pair stood firm for almost two hours, infuriating the hosts’ bowlers. But just before lunch, an instance of overambitious intent swung the balance in England’s favor.
As Rahul was moving towards a historic second Test century at Lord’s, the senior opener asked for a risky single in the last over before lunch, pushing a delivery by off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. Pant reacted, but a quick bit of fielding by England captain Ben Stokes a neat pick-up and straight throw at the non-striker’s end got the Indian wicketkeeper run out for 72.
Nevertheless, Rahul regretted not being able to add more to his century, realizing that his dismissal was a game-changer for the innings.
“Not ideal,” he said. “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,” he added.
“Yeah, yeah. Of course there’s a little bit of disappointment because till just before tea time we were in a really good position. Obviously, me and Rishabh got that long partnership and (then) we both got out (in quick succession) he got out just before lunch and I got out just after lunch. That wasn’t ideal so 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,” he said.
The dismissal saw the end of a vital 141-run fourth-wicket partnership, at which stage India were seemingly in command. Rahul was not deterred, however, and got to his hundred soon after the break. But his celebration was brief. Rahul was bowled for a precise 100 by Bashir in the latter’s next over, leaving India’s lower and middle order to wage the fight.
To their credit, the tailenders scrounged together enough runs to equal England’s first-innings score of 387. Looking back on the innings, Rahul conceded that pursuing the milestone might have cost the team precious momentum. His century his 10th Test century and fourth in English conditions was not only a personal milestone but also an historic one. Rahul became the first Asian to make multiple Test centuries as an opener at Lord’s. Interestingly, no other opener, even from England, has achieved that feat at the ground since 2012.
