India’s opening partnership of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal frustrated the hosts after being put in to bat first, reaching 78-0 at lunch.The duo looked settled for a big total. Rahul (46) was caught by Zak Crawley off Chris Woakes early after lunch, making it 94-1.There were more cheers around the stadium when Jaiswal’s innings — which included his 1,000th run against England — was ended by Liam Dawson, putting India at 120-2. Dawson, whose previous Test appearance was against South Africa in 2017, struck in the second over of his return.Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar questioned KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s mental strength after they failed to capitalise on their starts.“When you look at the overall pie, you can see how wonderfully this Test match is going. There’s a promise of another intriguing Test. You saw the first session, an important one, go to India, and then England making that second session their own. We saw two set batters get out – KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal,” Manjrekar said on JioHotstar.
Poll
Do you think KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal should have capitalised on their starts?
“I don’t know whether I’m reading too much into it, whether it’s mental fatigue from the long series.“These are guys who’ve got runs. These aren’t batters who usually get a 50 and let the advantage slip.“They didn’t quite dig in and get a big 100. Has that got something to do with mental stamina — the reserves you need? They have played so well until now, but to drop to another kind of level in terms of commitment and grind — whether they have it in them?”Meanwhile, KL Rahul completed 1,000 Test runs in England, becoming only the fifth Indian to do so after legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, and Virat Kohli.With 1,575 runs, Tendulkar tops the list, followed by Dravid (1,376), Gavaskar (1,152), and Kohli (1,096). Now, Rahul joins this elite club, marking another solid milestone in his career.In 12 Tests in England, he has made four centuries and two fifties. His best score in England is 149.
