On Day 1 of the first innings of the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester, Aakash Chopra commended KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s opening partnership.
On Wednesday, 23 July, England pacers would have been optimistic of making early inroads when Ben Stokes chose to field first in cloudy conditions. Rahul and Yashasvi, however, both displayed incredible fortitude in blunting out the new ball. During the first session, India did not lose a single wicket. Together, the two scored 94 runs in 30 overs.
Jaiswal made 58 runs after Rahul was removed for 46. After being assigned to bat first on the first day of a Test match in England, India eventually batted out the first session without losing a wicket, according to Chopra.
“It was a successful first collaboration. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul both performed admirably. The weather was cloudy, so that was fortunate. The ball was in motion, but not very much. You didn’t lose a single wicket in the first session despite being assigned to bat first after losing the toss. In a video posted to his YouTube account, Chopra stated, “This has happened after a very long time in England.”
The cricketer-turned-commentator believes that former India captain and opener Rohit Sharma, who retired from Test cricket in May, isn’t being missed in light of Rahul and Yashasvi’s valiant efforts.
“Yashasvi played with extreme caution. He was quite picky about the shots he chose to play. Although KL Rahul was unlucky to miss his half-century, the opening partnership was noteworthy. Since KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal have both performed quite well, you can definitely argue that we haven’t missed Rohit Sharma all that much,” he continued.
A good player is Sai Sudharsan: Chopra Aakash
Chopra also gave Sai Sudharsan a lot of credit for his tough 61 off 151 balls on Wednesday. After making his debut in the first Test, the former India opener felt that Sudharsan shouldn’t have been removed from the team.
“Sai Sudharsan plays the game properly. We began to question why you dropped him after you played him in the first game. His score was thirty. He wasn’t too horrible. We all think he’s a unique talent, and you played him after crossing the line’, he remarked.
“He may have been spotted batting with even more rhythm if this had been his fourth Test match. He has performed a fairly standard, traditional knock in a Test match. He’s a terrific player. Chopra noted, “He played a proper Test match knock, but unfortunately he was out on 61.
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