"He will remain an ultra-criticized guy" - Aakash Chopra lauds KL Rahul's century in ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

Former India player Aakash Chopra has lauded KL Rahul for scoring his second century at Lord's in the third Test against England. While observing that critics might still find reasons to criticize Rahul, he added that the stylish batter deserves praise for playing an excellent knock.

Rahul scored 100 runs off 177 deliveries as India matched England's first innings score of 387 on Day 3 (Saturday, July 12). The hosts ended the day at two for no loss, with the match intriguingly poised heading into the fourth morning.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener noted that Rahul might draw some criticism despite writing his name on the Lord's honors board for the second time, something greats like Sunil Gavaskar, Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar couldn't do even once.

"Another century at Lord's. He was the Player of the Match the last time India played and won here. He has become the first Indian opener to score two centuries at Lord's. His name has gone twice on the honors board. The Lord's ground is historic. Sunny bhai, Kohli and Sachin paaji's names are not there," Chopra said (1:40).

"I don't think even Brian Lara and AB de Villiers' names are there either. These names are not there, but he is there now twice. Once again, criticism might come his way. It's written in his luck that he will remain an ultra-criticized guy. Someone or other will keep finding some shortcomings, but let's acknowledge the fact that he batted extremely well," he added.

KL Rahul had previously played a 129-run knock in India's 151-run win at Lord's in August 2021. Dilip Vengsarkar, who scored three centuries at Lord's, is the only overseas batter with more hundreds than him at the iconic venue.

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"He played a proper Test match knock" - Aakash Chopra on KL Rahul's approach in ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

KL Rahul struck 13 fours during his 100-run knock. [P/C: Getty]

While praising KL Rahul's approach and strokeplay, Aakash Chopra noted that his dismissal was slightly disappointing.

"He played a proper Test match knock, where he didn't go fishing. He allowed the ball to come to him, played very well on his legs, and hit balls into gaps. I think he is the best driver. He is doing that job the best in the ongoing Test series. He got out immediately after the century, a soft dismissal in the slips against Shoaib Bashir, and that was slightly disappointing," he said (2:50) in the same video.

The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that Rahul has been India's most dependable overseas opener over the last few years.

"If we read his career's trajectory, many times he starts the series strongly, but then he tapers off. That's not the case here. He has scored four centuries in England. He has scored only one century at home. He hasn't got a long run at home. However, away from home, he has been the most dependable opener, if you talk about the modern era," Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra reckoned that KL Rahul might have entered the most beautiful phase of his batting career, highlighting that he has been among the runs in Tests, ODIs, and T20s. He added that while Shubman Gill has filled the spot left vacant by Virat Kohli, Rahul could be the one to fill Rohit Sharma's spot.