India openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal came under the scanner after throwing away solid starts on Day 1 of the Manchester Test against England. Sent into bat by England captain Ben Stokes, the Indian opening pair safely negotiated the morning session, compiling 78 runs for no loss in 26 overs. However, the post-lunch session saw an immediate setback.
Rahul, who had looked comfortable until lunch, fell on the very first ball of the second session, dismissed by Chris Woakes for 46. Jaiswal followed shortly after, caught by Harry Brook at first slip off Liam Dawson for a well-fought 61 off 151 balls. India finished the day at 264/4, but the dismissals of both set openers sparked criticism and concern.
Sanjay Manjrekar, speaking on JioHotstar, questioned the mental strength of the batters after their failure to convert their starts into big scores.
“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 match. 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. You wonder. I don’t know whether I’m reading too much into it, whether it’s mental fatigue from the long series,” Manjrekar said.
“These are guys who’ve got runs. These aren’t batters who will get a 50 and let the advantage go. They didn’t quite dig in and get a big 100. Has that got something to do with mental stamina, the reserves that you need? They have played so well until now to drop another kind of level of commitment and grind, whether they have it in there.”
Hussain and Shastri Back Rahul and Jaiswal’s Grit
Despite the criticism, the Indian openers found strong support from former England captain Nasser Hussain and ex-India head coach Ravi Shastri. Hussain lauded KL Rahul’s classical technique and adaptability in English conditions.
“He (Rahul) has wonderful technique. He plays almost like an English opening batter, and it is a real valuable asset for this Indian side to have,” Hussain said on Sky Sports.
Rahul’s half-century also helped him reach a personal milestone, becoming only the fifth Indian batter to complete 1,000 Test runs in England. He now joins an elite group alongside legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, and Virat Kohli.
Meanwhile, Shastri was full of praise for Jaiswal’s mature innings, especially after his recent failures. “This tour of England will make Jaiswal twice the player he is. He was prepared to guts it out this morning after his failures at Lord’s – he gave respect to the conditions and the new ball. Then he started playing positive shots around half an hour before lunch – the uppercut, the slash over the slips,” noted Shastri.
India will hope their middle order capitalises on the foundation laid by the openers as the Test match heads into a crucial second day.
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