KL Rahul not the VILLAIN in Akash Deep saga at Lord’s, Ex-cricketers reveal why

India did not end Day 4 on a very strong note, as their batter kept losing wickets at regular intervals. The Lord's pitch has been very different from the previous tracks, which offered large-scale help for batters, since a large pile of runs was scored on every previous occasion.

The Indian batter Shubman Gill, who had taken command of the Indian series with the bat, has failed to score promising runs for India at Lord's. While Yashasvi Jaiswal has also missed out on runs in the third Test, it has been KL Rahul who has anchored the Indian innings at times.

KL Rahul blamed again— Ex-Cricketers come to his defence

Indian batter KL Rahul has been thrashed again for not keeping the strike in the last over of the second innings, when India faltered to chase 193 in the final innings.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

KL Rahul had been batting fluently throughout the innings, and he seemed the only Indian batter who could add some semblance to the Indian innings if he continues to bat on the last day as well. Hence, the Indian management decided to send in Akash Deep as the nightwatchman, who could help KL Rahul survive those 11 deliveries.

Likely abiding by the plan, KL had Akash Deep facing most of the deliveries while he stayed at the non-striker's end.

Seeing the internet going berserk over the obvious thing that KL Rahul did, former Indian cricketers have come to his defence.

Former cricketer Priyank Panchal has mentioned that, "During the final overs of Day 4 at Lord's, KL Rahul’s decision to let Akash Deep face the last over raised quite a few eyebrows online. But, from a cricketer’s lens, it was a logical, composed move.

"Yes, the optics may feel off, a senior batter staying at the non-striker’s end. But that’s also what clarity of role, game awareness, and long-term match thinking look like. It was about decision-making, and KL backed the team over the moment," he added.

"We often judge cricketers by optics, not outcomes. But good cricket, like good leadership in any field, is often defined by what you choose not to do," advised the former cricketer.

During the final overs of Day 4 at Lord's, KL Rahul’s decision to let Akash Deep face the last over raised quite a few eyebrows online. But, from a cricketer’s lens, it was a logical, composed move.

KL had been batting fluently in the series and understands the bigger picture,… pic.twitter.com/Rl8dFRXxqo

— Priyank Panchal (@PKpanchal09) July 14, 2025

Former cricketer Dodda Ganesh has also backed Rahul, saying whatever he does, the blame is always pinned on him, and also raised a question over the role of a nightwatchman.

No matter what KL Rahul does, he gets the blame 😃

This coming from a veteran journalist is shocking to say the least.

If KL had to play those 11 deliveries, why was Akashdeep sent in as a night watchman? https://t.co/HWPBomssLb

— Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) July 14, 2025

ALSO READ: 'Rishabh Pant deliberately threw Akash Deep': India teammate makes shocking revelation

India still needs many runs - KL Rahul departs, leaving India in crisis

All these controversies were set aside, as KL Rahul remained India's most crucial batter, who remained firm on 33* at the end of Day 4. The centurion from the first innings needed to play a big role if India was to win the match.

However, chasing just 193 runs as the target, with 135 runs still remaining, India's star duo of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant failed to give India a promising lead. After sending in Akash Deep to protect the wicket of these two batters, India could not get much from them.

Pant got out cheaply for 9 runs, while Rahul was dismissed by Ben Stokes, the England skipper, after a brief stay on Day 5. India, with 7 wickets down, still needs 98 more runs to win, which seems a very tough job for the batters on the crease.

Ashwin hints at why Pant was not sent in yesterday

Ravichandran Ashwin, the former Indian spinner, had earlier hinted today as to why Akash Deep was sent in before Rishabh Pant at the end of Day 4. One of the reasons was obviously that the management wanted Rishabh Pant to bat long enough on Day 5 and did not want to risk his wickets under low light on Day 4.

However, Ashwin also has an insight that Pant doesn't like to walk in towards the back end of the innings with only a few minutes of play remaining. He also mentioned a previous incident where he witnessed such an incident with Pant during his playing days with the Indian superstar.