"KL Rahul was the biggest culprit.."- Michael Atherton

Former England captain Michael Atherton criticized Indian batsman KL Rahul for missing out on a century in the ongoing first Test. Michael Atherton called KL Rahul the ‘biggest’ culprit, saying that he was responsible for missing out on the opportunity to score a century.

KL Rahul replaced Virat Kohli, who opted out of the first two Tests due to personal reasons, at No. 4 in India’s batting lineup. The right-handed batsman showed dominance against the English bowlers, scoring 86 runs off 123 balls with the help of eight fours and two sixes.

The Biggest Culprit Was His Replacement – Michael Atherton

In his column for The Times, Michael Atherton expressed the belief that Virat Kohli would never have thrown away an easy century opportunity, as KL Rahul did in India’s first innings.

“They were fortunate that India’s top order were in a generous mood but the situation at the close was very bad even so, and could have been even worse. It is hard to imagine that Virat Kohli would have been as obliging as his team-mates were here, and the biggest culprit was his replacement at No 4, the stylish and gifted KL Rahul, who had a hundred for the taking before hammering a long-hop from Tom Hartley into the deep,” Atherton wrote in his column for The Times.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja both ended the second day of play with scores in the 80s. Unfortunately, Yashasvi, playing his first Test match on home soil, missed the chance to reach a century. He was dismissed by Joe Root after adding just four runs on Day 2.

The Most Puzzling Aspect Revolved Around Jack Leach – Michael Atherton

Michael Atherton raised questions about the limited use of Jack Leach, England’s most experienced spinner, by captain Ben Stokes during India’s innings. Atherton highlighted that Leach bowled only 16 overs in six spells throughout the day.

“The most puzzling aspect revolved around the deployment of Jack Leach, England’s most experienced spinner. Until now, Leach has been something of a pet project for Ben Stokes and, in response to the many shows of faith, Leach has responded by growing in stature and confidence,” Atherton added.

“Here, though, he was sparingly used, bowling only two overs in the morning and seven in the afternoon, the latter spread over three spells. All told, he bowled 16 overs in the day in six spells, his longest being of four overs.”

After missing last year’s Ashes, Jack Leach made his comeback in the ongoing Test match. However, Leach reportedly suffered a knee injury while attempting to save a boundary. He bowled 25 overs, conceding only 54 runs and taking a wicket at stumps on Day 2.

India finished Day 2 at 421/7, taking a commanding lead of 175 runs against England, who managed a first-innings total of 246 runs. England’s lone pacer, Mark Wood, was unable to secure any wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.

Also read: Michael Atherton reveals why Ben Stokes threw Tom Hartley in a tight corner vs Yashasvi Jaiswal