"In the entire series, he has made up his mind to stay there" - Hemang Badani lauds KL Rahul's knock on Day 4 of ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Former India batter Hemang Badani has lauded KL Rahul for playing a cautious knock on Day 4 of the fourth Test against England. He noted that the Indian opener has tried to stay in the middle as long as possible throughout the ongoing five-match series.

Rahul scored an unbeaten 87 off 210 deliveries as India ended Day 4 (Saturday, July 26) in Manchester at 174/2 in their second innings. The visitors trail England by 137 runs heading into the final day.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Badani praised Rahul for being aware of his off-stump and leaving a lot of deliveries.

"In the entire series, he has made up his mind to stay there, that he would look to play cautiously and look to leave deliveries, and that's his strength. The thing I liked the most is that he knows where his off-stump is. He has left a lot of deliveries. He has never flirted with the new ball," he said.

The Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach added that the franchise's player has ensured that the dressing room is relaxed whenever he is at the crease.

"He has let the new ball come to him and played it after watching it till the last moment. We got to see proper Test cricket. You need reliability from an opener. Once your opener goes to the middle, you should sit in the dressing room at ease. You know that KL Rahul is there, so you shouldn't have any fear. He has given that confidence to the dressing room in this series," Badani observed.

With 508 runs at an average of 72.57, KL Rahul is the second-highest run-scorer in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Only Shubman Gill (697 runs at an average of 99.57) is the only player to have scored more runs than him, with both currently playing their eighth innings.

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"The chances of getting him out reduce drastically" - RP Singh lauds KL Rahul's shot selection on Day 4 of ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

KL Rahul has struck eight fours during his unbeaten 87-run knock. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, former India pacer RP Singh praised KL Rahul for his judicious shot selection.

"He batted extremely well. The backfoot punch is his favorite shot, and he played that shot whenever he got an opportunity. He has played that shot from cover point to third man. I feel that when a batter relies more on one shot and plays the other balls with respect, he becomes extremely dangerous. The chances of getting him out reduce drastically," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Rahul refrained from playing extravagant drives, thereby giving the bowlers limited chances of dismissing him.

"He has scored runs on the off-side because he is picking the line and length. Such batters are extremely dangerous for the bowlers. He played the drive only when the ball was absolutely full. When a batter doesn't hit the deliveries that are away from him, where will we get the chances to get him out? He has figured out the better options to score runs on Day 4 in English conditions," Singh elaborated.

KL Rahul was joined in the middle by Shubman Gill when India were in dire straits at 0/2 in their second innings. The pair has stitched together an unbroken 174-run third-wicket partnership, with the Indian captain unbeaten on a 167-ball 78.