KL Rahul Gives India Positive Pitch Report For Day 5: 'Like Subcontinent...'
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In what would come as a good news for India, KL Rahul believes the Day 5 pitch at Headingley will behave like a subcontinent wicket.
Star Indian batter KL Rahul believes that the Day 5 pitch at Headingley for the first Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test could behave 'like a subcontinent wicket' with rough patches and a dry overall look.
That should come as a positive update for India, who have one of the best spinners in the world for these conditions in Ravindra Jadeja and a well-rounded pace behemoth in Jasprit Bumrah. India need to defend 350 runs on the final day to win the Test and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
England have all 10 wickets to spare after ending the fourth day at 21/0 in response to India's target of 371 after the second innings.
'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. '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," he added.
'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," Rahul added.
Rahul was the pick of the Indian batters with his 137 in the second innings. He batted across a variety of conditions, starting with overcast skies when he started the day, just shy of his half-century.
'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," Rahul explained.
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