KL Rahul seems to be in the spotlight despite performing well with the bat in the first Test at Headingley. He scored 42 and 137 in the two innings of the first Test. However, he still finds himself at the end of some unwanted criticism.
The ton at Headingley was his third Test ton in England. He added a stand of 195 runs in the second innings with Rishabh Pant scoring twin tons at Headingley.
Despite India's best batting effort, they lost the Test match as their bowlers performed below-par and could not defend a target of 371 runs that England chased in the second innings.
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KL Rahul Cannot Be One-Hundred Wonder: Sanjay Manjrekar
Ahead of the second Test, former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar on Star Sports' "Gameplan" spoke about Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. While he praised Pant, he was skeptical of Rahul. He backed Pant to carry on his good form in the second Test.
"I think he (Rishabh Pant) will (carry his form to the second game) because it seems like he enjoys batting in Test cricket. Any batter who gets two hundreds in a Test match, it takes a lot out of you mentally, not so much physically, getting a hundred in the first innings, and 48 hours later, you have the same kind of reserve to get another hundred. So that is a hallmark of an exceptional player," the former India batter said.
He further said that while Pant is expected to bat well at Edgbaston, Rahul will be expected to up his game and get out of a "one-hundred wonder" shadow.
"Rishabh Pant enjoys Test matches. He has not got enough runs. So he is hungry. I see Pant carrying his form, but there is another senior batter in the team, who now has got no choice but to carry his form right through the series. Indian cricket needs him badly, and KL Rahul cannot be a one-hundred wonder or a one-Test-match performer," he added.
Also Read: IND vs ENG 2025:" Whatsapp Uninstalled, Phone Switched Off" - Rishabh Pant's Tough Regime To Return To Form After Australia SeriesEdgbaston
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Archer Back For 2nd Test, India Likely To Miss Bumrah
Ahead of the second Test, the Indian bowling attack is under the scanner with reports of Jasprit Bumrah likely to be rested. There are also talks of Kuldeep Yadav's inclusion. Meanwhile, Jofra Archer is back in the England Test squad for the second Test starting from July 2.
Also read: ENG vs IND: Yashasvi Jaiswal Set to Break Sunil Gavaskar’s 49-Year-Old Record
