"Don't think anything happening around him affects him" - Murali Kartik's massive praise for Team India star after Day 4 of ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Former India spinner Murali Kartik has lavished praise on opener KL Rahul for his brilliant performance on Day 4 (Saturday, July 26) of the ongoing fourth Test against England at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.

The visitors were in early trouble during their second innings, losing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan for ducks in the opening over. However, Rahul, alongside skipper Shubman Gill, led a remarkable recovery. The duo stitched together an unbeaten 174-run partnership off 373 balls, with Rahul remaining not out on a patient 87 off 210 deliveries at stumps.

Impressed by the Karnataka batter’s application and temperament under pressure, Kartik applauded the 33-year-old’s effort. Speaking in a video on Cricbuzz, the 48-year-old said:

“One must also talk about KL Rahul, who has stood out throughout the series. You could say he has played like a model of composure, discipline, correct technique, and most importantly, the right temperament. I don’t think anything happening around him affects him or makes him stray from his game plan.”

“To play through two sessions without losing a wicket, especially on a pitch where the ball is keeping low, and when England is bowling in unison with intensity, is remarkable. When a team senses victory, it gives them a different kind of fuel, a special energy for both the team and the bowlers. To dent that momentum and show such a fightback at that point is simply brilliant and extraordinary," he added.

Rahul has accumulated 508 runs in eight innings in the series so far, averaging 72.57, with two half-centuries and two centuries to his name.

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“Would have been a major blow” - Murali Kartik highlights decisive moment on Day 4 of ENG vs IND Manchester Test

In the aforementioned video, Murali Kartik also pointed out a key moment on Day 4 involving Shubman Gill's dropped catch. During the 25th over of India’s innings, Liam Dawson spilled a relatively straightforward chance when Gill was on 46. Emphasizing the significance of the moment, Kartik said:

“Today, when India were 2/0, the way KL Rahul and Shubman Gill batted was brilliant. KL Rahul played with composure, but when Shubman Gill was on 46, he got a big life. Brydon Carse bowled a delivery and Liam Dawson dropped his catch in the gully. It wasn’t a particularly difficult catch, but sometimes in English conditions, you pick the ball late — and that’s exactly what happened. The ball came quickly, hit his hands, and slipped away. At that time, the score was 74 for two.”

“Losing another wicket at that moment would have been a major blow because England would have regrouped and piled on the pressure. You could see from the way those two early wickets fell in the first over itself that England felt like they could finish the match that very day. What followed, the spirited effort by the captain and the most senior player, was brilliant. But that dropped catch was a key moment, because another wicket then would have been a serious warning sign for India," he added.

At stumps on Day 4, the visitors reached 174/2 after 63 overs, still trailing by 137 runs, with KL Rahul (87) and Gill (78) unbeaten at the crease.