"Now you can probably say that we haven't missed Rohit Sharma that much" - Aakash Chopra lauds KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal's partnership in 4th Test

Former India player Aakash Chopra has lauded KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal for stitching together a substantial opening partnership in the fourth Test against England. He noted that Team India haven't missed Rohit Sharma as much as expected because of the duo's consistent performances.

Rahul and Jaiswal added 94 runs for the opening wicket in India's first innings of the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The visitors ended Day 1 (Wednesday, July 23) at 264/4, with Ravindra Jadeja (19* off 37) and Shardul Thakur (19* off 36) at the crease.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India batter praised Rahul and Jaiswal for playing out the first session, highlighting that the openers have potentially ensured that the visitors haven't felt Rohit's absence.

"It was a good opening partnership. Both KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal played well. That was good because the conditions were overcast. The ball wasn't moving that much, but it was moving. You lost the toss and were asked to bat first, and you didn't lose a single wicket in the first session. This has happened after a very long time in England," Chopra said (4:20).

"Yashasvi played very cautiously. He was very, very selective about the shots to play. KL Rahul was unfortunate to miss his half-century, but it was a significant opening partnership. Now you can probably say that we haven't missed Rohit Sharma that much because both Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul have done a phenomenal job," he added.

KL Rahul scored 46 runs off 98 deliveries with the help of four fours. Yashasvi Jaiswal's 107-ball 58 was studded with 10 fours and a six.

---

"You played him the first match and then you dropped him" - Aakash Chopra lauds Sai Sudharsan's knock in ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Sai Sudharsan scored a half-century on Day 1 of the Manchester Test. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra lauded Sai Sudharsan for playing a proper Test knock and wondered why the left-handed batter was dropped after the first game.

"Sai Sudharsan is a proper player. You played him the first match and then you dropped him, and we started wondering why you did that. He had scored 30. He was not too bad. All of us believe that he is a special talent, and you had played him after breaking the line," he said (5:55).

The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that the youngster might have been even more prolific if he had played the last two Tests as well.

"If this had been his fourth Test match, he might have been seen batting in even better rhythm. He has played a very typical, classic Test match knock. He is a phenomenal player. Unfortunately, he got out on 61, but he played a proper Test match knock," Chopra observed.

Sai Sudharsan scored 61 runs off 151 balls with the help of seven fours. He added 72 runs for the fourth wicket with Rishabh Pant (37 off 48) before the latter retired hurt due to a foot injury.