India's opener KL Rahul has hailed the win at the fifth & final Test at The Oval against England on Monday, August 04, as a massive boost for Test cricket. The veteran also stated that this hard-fought win will rank at the top of India's great Test wins in recent times. In a sea saw battle, where both teams were not ready to give an inch, the Shubman Gill-led side came out on top and won the The Oval Test by just six runs. The visitors also ended the series 2-2.
After the match, the Indian opener was asked where he would rank this victory. The right-hand batter replied:
“We have seen India lift the World Cup... I mean, nothing compares to lifting the World Cup. But so many doubts, so many questions from everybody about whether Test cricket will stay or not. I think both the teams and the way we’ve played in this series have answered that question.
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“For us as a team, that wasn’t given a chance in this series... For us to fight back and to fight in every game and to get a result of 2-2 might seem like a drop. But for us and Indian Test cricket, going in the future, I think this will rank right at the top.”
KL Rahul, who scored 532 runs from 10 innings, was instrumental in giving India solid starts upfront. The 33-year-old soaked up all the pressure as an opening batter, managing to take the shine off the ball most times. He was rewarded for his perseverance as he trained meticulously for the five-match Test series.
Rahul lauds Shubman Gill's phenomenal leadership
The opening batter also lavished huge praise on India's young leader Shubman Gill, who ended the series as the highest run-scorer, amassing a colossal 754 runs. It was his debut Test series as captain; however, Gill did not show any nerves and led from the front.
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“Shubman’s been phenomenal. I think he’s really led from the front. He’s worked really hard on the boys behind the scenes as well... In forming connections, which a lot of people don’t see.
“He’s been tactically really good. The changes he’s made over the series have always got us the wickets somehow. And I think he will grow. He will grow on to be a really, really good Test captain.
“I can’t speak too much about his individual performance because I think he’s already shown the world what he can do in all three formats. And especially this series, the way he batted.
“He’s here to stay as a leader, and he will take this Indian Test team to greater heights.”
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Before the start of the Test series, very few gave this young Indian team a chance to win a single Test, let alone draw the series. However, Gill's measured and composed leadership, and some terrific consistency from Mohmmed Siraj, Rahul & Rishabh Pant were catalysts in India leveling the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2.
