Rahul on the Headingley surface ‘Like a subcontinent wicket on day five’

Cliff Notes – Rahul on the Headingley surface ‘Like a subcontinent wicket on day five’

• KL Rahul likened the Headingley pitch to a subcontinent surface, indicating that run-scoring will be challenging on the final day of the Test.
• India set England a target of 371 runs, with England finishing day four at 21 for 0, needing 350 more for victory; Rahul anticipates a "very interesting" final day.

Rahul on the Headingley surface: ‘Like a subcontinent wicket on day five’

India opener KL Rahul has compared the Headingley surface to a subcontinent pitch, saying run-scoring will not be easy on the final day of the Test.

India, led by Rahul’s memorable 137 and Rishabh Pant’s second century of the Test, set England a target of 371. England reached 21 for 0 at stumps, still needing 350 for a win, and Rahul expects a “very interesting” final day.

“I think the first two days, being as hot as it was, the pitch has taken a bit of beating,” Rahul said in an interview with Jiostar at the close of day four. “The crack seems like it’s opening up. There’s a bit of rough there, and the wicket is really dry. Mostly, it’s like a subcontinent wicket on day five.

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“Day five wicket won’t be as easy, but knowing how England play and their style of cricket, they’re going to come hard and try and score boundaries and try and score runs as quickly as possible. We need to keep that in the back of our heads and try and bowl as straight as we can. Try and be patient and really not give them those boundaries, make them earn their runs. It should be a very interesting day.”

The match was evenly poised when play began on day four, with India two down and leading by 96 runs. They lost their captain early on day four in conditions ripe for swing bowling, but Rahul and Pant dug in. India managed only 28 runs in the first hour of play but lost just the one wicket, despite the ball moving around.

“It was very different this morning,” Rahul said. “It almost felt like it was the first time we were actually in English conditions. The ball was seeming around, it was overcast. There was a bit happening from the wicket.

“The first couple of days when we batted, there wasn’t much. There was a bit of swing in the air, but nothing off the pitch. But this morning it was a really good spell. I just felt like I needed to play tighter and make sure that we don’t lose too many wickets and make sure that I kill the first session. I was trying to play as straight as possible. At least defend as straight as possible.”

KL Rahul gets a hug from Rishabh Pant after completing his century Getty Images

Rahul also said that playing the second unofficial Test for India A against England Lions helped him acclimatise to the conditions in England better and got him into that “tempo of playing Test cricket again”.

“[I felt if] I get some time to spend in the middle, it would be really good just to bat against the Dukes ball, just get used to the cold conditions and windy conditions and just spend some time leaving a few balls and just getting that tempo again of playing Test cricket,” Rahul said. “That really helped me come here early and adjust to the conditions. Just get that tempo right and feel comfortable wearing the whites again and getting used to seeing the red ball coming at me.

“That really helped me in terms of prep, and obviously, I’ve been here before, I’ve played a few Test series here. So I knew what to expect, but again, every series is different. This time the bowlers are different, the conditions are different, so it was just about switching on and trying to do the simple things right and yeah, coming here early really helped me.”

Rahul was praised Pant, with whom he forged a crucial 195-run stand for the fourth wicket.

“When Rishabh walks in, you just let him be,” Rahul said. “He knows what’s best for the team and for him and how he can do that. Obviously, everyone’s different. Rishabh’s a very different player. He does the job for the team, so you just let him be and make sure that he’s doing the simple things right. We’ve had a few partnerships before as well, so we enjoy batting together.”