Rahul centuries power India’s lead past 300

Cliff Notes – Rahul centuries power India’s lead past 300

• Centuries from KL Rahul (120*) and Rishabh Pant (118) propelled India to a commanding 304-run lead over England by tea on day four of the first Test.
• The pair’s 195-run partnership for the fourth wicket followed a cautious first session, where India managed only 63 runs for the loss of one wicket.

Pant, Rahul centuries power India’s lead past 300

Tea India 471 and 298 for 4 (Rahul 120*, Pant 118, Carse 2-62) lead England 465 by 304 runs

Centuries from KL Rahul (120*) and Rishabh Pant (118) put India firmly in control of the first Test, leading England by 304 runs heading into tea on day four.

That Rahul’s ninth hundred and Pant’s eighth came off 202 and 130 deliveries, respectively, tells the story of their roles within a 195-run stand for the fourth wicket that initially quelled a tough morning, before running riot in the afternoon. They had earned a decent platform after toughing out the first session, scoring just 63 runs for the loss of skipper Shubman Gill to a brute of a delivery from Brydon Carse. And with it, they made hay with 145 runs over the next 27 overs.

Both had their share of good luck. Rahul was dropped by Harry Brook on 55, while Pant edged a couple through the cordon – a vacant first slip to start with when on 31, and then a vacant second which moved him to 49 – before a full-blooded cover drive on 75 was tipped around the post by Ben Stokes at cover. But neither batter dwelled on errors, nor lost sight of the bigger picture.

Rahul’s serenity on the drive was coupled with wearing three blows to the glove. A caress through the covers for two took him to his eighth overseas century, celebrated with little more than a shrug. It was his sixth outside of Asia as an opener, with only Sunil Gavaskar ahead of him (15).

Similarly, Pant’s was far more subdued than his first-innings celebration, remaining upright this time but seemingly promising Gavaskar he would do the front-flip again next time. And the stats suggest there will be a next time, given he has become the first visiting wicketkeeper to score four Test centuries in a country.

Pant accelerated upon passing fifty, taking 44 off 25 deliveries to move to 95. The journey from there to 100 took 22 balls more, though he made up for “lost” time by smashing Joe Root for four, six and four in the very next over. An attempt to do the same to Shoaib Bashir resulted in a catch for Zak Crawley at long-on.

Bashir celebrated like he had won the battle, but he really had not, given Pant was aiming for the stand in which he had sent Bashir earlier for back-to-back sixes. Both Pant and Rahul had just started tucking into the rookie offspinner. Karun Nair then reverse swept Bashir for four, taking himself off a pair and moving India’s lead beyond 300.