Team India’s senior batter KL Rahul was seen warning debutant Sai Sudharsan in Tamil about the extra bounce that England’s off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was extracting from the surface on Day 3 of the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. After Jaiswal’s early dismissal, Rahul and Sudharsan stitched a crucial 66-run stand under pressure, with India leading by just six runs.
Sudharsan, out for a duck in the first innings, looked much more assured in the second. England brought in Shoaib Bashir as early as the 12th over in a tactical move. Rahul quickly capitalised on a short ball from the spinner, dispatching it for a four.
After rotating the strike with a single, he took a moment to advise Sudharsan about the bounce just before the youngster faced his first ball from Bashir.
“Nalla bounce irukku, machi (There’s nice bounce, dude),” KL Rahul’s comment was caught by stump mic.
In a similar moment, KL Rahul was previously caught speaking in Tamil with his former opening partner Murali Vijay during the 2018 Test match against South Africa in Centurion.
“Macha, indhe over le ellam ulla than podaraan (Dude, this over, all of the balls he is bowling are coming in),” he had said (via Cricbuzz).
India ends Day 3 with KL Rahul solid on 47 not out
The opening batter, who had crafted a composed 42 in the first innings before edging one to the keeper off Brydon Carse, has continued to display good form in the second innings. He has handled the new ball with caution while capitalising on loose deliveries, producing a series of elegant cover drives during his stay at the crease.
At stumps on Day 3, he remained unbeaten on 47 from 75 balls, as India closed the day at 90 for 2, holding a 96-run lead. Sai Sudharsan also looked comfortable at the crease, but his innings was cut short late in the day following another soft dismissal off Ben Stokes’ bowling.
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