KL Rahul joins Sunil Gavaskar in ultra-exclusive list after Edgbaston Test fifty
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Indian openers KL Rahul and Karun Nair opened Day 4 for India, after Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed late on Day 3 of the Edgbaston Test. However, KL Rahul, the veteran batter, was on the crease and put on a promising show.
Karun Nair continued his patch of weak form, as the batter was dismissed early on Day 4 off Josh Tongue, who also cleaned up KL Rahul as his middle stump was uprooted and tossed over the pitch.
Rahul added valuable runs at the top, as he scored his 10th fifty in Test cricket playing as an opener in the SENA countries. Rahul was dismissed after having scored 55 runs, which helped him create history.
KL Rahul now has the second-most fifties as an Indian opener in SENA Tests
Other than Rahul himself, players like Murali Vijay, the current Indian head coach, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, and the great Sunil Gavaskar all feature in the elite list of batters with the most 50+ scores as an Indian opener in the SENA Tests. Rahul is the only current player in the list.
Notably, KL Rahul and Sunil Gavaskar are the only two Indian openers who have scored 10 or more 50-plus scores in SENA Tests.
Most 50+ scores by an Indian Opener in SENA Tests
19 - Sunil Gavaskar (57 Inngs)
10 - KL Rahul (44 Inngs)*
9 - Murali Vijay (42 Inngs)
9 - Virender Sehwag (49 Inngs)
7 - Gautam Gambhir (25 Inngs)
England bowlers bounce back early on Day 4
The English bowlers looked tired on Day 3, as the England batters finished their innings within just 90 overs of play. Only Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed on Day 3 due to his over-aggressiveness; otherwise, runs were coming at a very fast rate.
The English bowler Josh Tongue picked the wickets of Karun Nair, who has been the absolute flop show on this England tour. Tongue next cleaned up KL Rahul, and India were seemingly falling out of place until Shubman Gill, the double-centurion from the first innings, along with the vice-captain Rishabh Pant, launched a counterattack on English bowlers.
Rishabh Pant counterattacks English bowlers
Rishabh Pant was solely responsible for launching the attack on the English bowlers right from the first ball since his arrival at the crease. He adapted to the role of Jamie Smith, the Englishman who played a similar role on the opponent side.
Rishabh Pant has launched an attack on bowlers, while Shubman Gill also gained confidence seeing the ruthless hitting from Pant. Gill, too, backed his double-century with another quickfire half-century in the second innings.
Together, they built a 100-run partnership in no time and took India's lead over 400, as Shubman Gill's fifty was shared by Rishabh Pant's terrific innings of 65 runs off just 58 balls.
However, after his short and entertaining stay on the field, Rishabh Pant was dismissed by Shoaib Bashir for the second time in this Test match. Pant hit 8 fours and 3 huge sixes in his power-packed innings.
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Tagged:
India National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team India vs England KL Rahul Sunil Gavaskar Murali Vijay Virender Sehwag Gautam Gambhir Rishabh Pant Shubman Gill
