Team India batter KL Rahul shared his thoughts on the final over of Day 3 in the Lord’s Test, stating that he fully understood what Zak Crawley was attempting. As an opener himself, Rahul said he could relate to Crawley’s tactics. The final moments of play on Saturday, July 12, were filled with drama as England came out to bat after India’s first innings total of 387.
With only a few minutes left before stumps, Crawley appeared to deliberately slow things down, leading to just one over being bowled before the close. This move frustrated several Indian fielders. Speaking at the post-day press conference, Rahul was asked about the tense end to the day’s play and gave his perspective on the situation.
“What happened at the end is just part of the game now. I understand from an opening batter’s point of view. I know exactly what was going on and everyone knows exactly what was going on. But an opening batter will understand completely what happened in the last five minutes.”
Gill Confronts Crawley Over Delay; Rahul Says It Fired Up Team
When Zak Crawley called for the physio during the final over, Indian skipper Shubman Gill confronted him, leading to a heated exchange. Gill also appeared to mock the England opener for his time-wasting tactics. When KL Rahul was asked whether he had seen Gill this fired up before and if the incident would further motivate the team, he responded:
“I have seen him fired up, but obviously we wanted to bowl two overs. There’s six minutes left. It’s a no-brainer that any team will bowl two overs with six minutes to go. But, it’s a bit of theatrics at the end and we were all pumped up either way. We know how difficult it is for a batter to come into bat for two overs when you’ve been in the field all day.”
The seasoned batter also acknowledged that picking up a wicket before stumps would have been an ideal outcome for the team. He added:
“We have two days from now on with both the teams probably back to back to zero after three days of hard fought cricket. We know it all comes down to day four and day five. So well we would have been fired up anyway.”
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