Lords needs star to win

Former India coach Anil Kumble has opined that KL Rahul has a major role to play in guiding India to victory in IND vs ENG 3rd Test at Lord’s. While batters went in and out on Day 4, the Karnataka batter managed to survive a late outburst from England. Rahul (33*) will resume play on Day 5 for India at Lord’s at 58/4 as they need 135 runs to win the Test and go 2-1 up in the series.

KL Rahul crucial for India’s run-chase at Lord’s

Speaking on JioHotstar, Kumble claimed that Rahul was going to be the “main man” for India. The ex-India coach said that the Karnataka batter staying till the end would be very crucial for the team.

“KL Rahul is going to be the main man (for India). If India are to go past this total tomorrow, he needs to be there till the end — not just give India a good start. This is going to be a very important knock. If India have to cross the line, KL Rahul will have to play a major role,” Kumble said.

Rahul was handed a lifeline in the third session on Day 4 as he was dropped in the 2nd innings. He used that opportunity to stabilize himself, staying unbeaten on 33 runs at stumps. Kumble drew a parallel between Rahul and Joe Root, and offered an insight as to what change the former made to survive.

“Early on, I thought he looked a bit like Joe Root, reaching out to the ball, and that’s when there was a chance offered to Chris Woakes. He was lucky to be dropped. But from that moment on, he started waiting for the ball to come onto him, and once he did that, he looked the part — just like he did in the first innings,” said Kumble.