New Delhi: Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep battled under tough conditions to give India a chance of forcing a draw in the third Test against Australia in Brisbane, said KL Rahul, who praised the duo for their lion-hearted display on Tuesday.
Bumrah and Akash’s unbeaten 39-run partnership for the 10th wicket helped India avoid follow-on after conceding 445 runs to Australia and then being reduced to 213/9.
India still trail by 193 runs but with only a day left of the game that has already been severely affected by rain, Bumrah and Akash’s stand has brightened chances of having the day for the tourists.
As per the weather forecast, it is also expected to rain on the fifth and final day, which would limit the chances of Australia forcing a win to go 2-1 up in the Border-Gavaskar series.
“Knowing that there’s a bit of rain around and so much of the game has been lost to rain. We need to find a way to stay in the game and I think Akash and Bumrah did that at the end,” Rahul said after stumps.
“It was a great contest at the end, the last half an hour they batted, not just the runs that they got, just the heart that they showed to keep away the bouncers, there’s a lot of pace and bounce in the wicket.”
‘Tighten up defence, wait for ball to get older’
KL Rahul scored 84 off 139 balls to become India’s top scorer, looking the most assured of the wway team’s batters. Commenting on his batting approach at the challenging conditions in Gabba, he said batters also need a bit of luck to survive early on in their innings.
“See I’m quite certain that everybody has their own set plans… You also need to have a bit of luck as a top-order batter.
“Just a little bit that goes your way if you can get through those first 10-15 overs and get a bit of confidence then you start feeling good and you start enjoying playing with the Kookaburra ball with the pace and bounce here in Australia,” the right hander said.
Rahul played close to his body and consciously left a lot of balls while other batters edged deliveries outside the off-stump.
“It’s just about getting through those first 20-30 balls for everybody and everyone’s trying their best to do that and it’s a long series,” Rahul said.
“The only thing you can do in the first 30 overs is to tighten up your defence, try and respect that the first 30 overs is the bowler’s time and give them their time, leave balls, try and play as tight as possible and then really try to cash in once the ball gets older. So that’s my plan, and that’s pretty simple, and I’m sure that’s the plan for everybody.”
Bumrah and Akash’s unbeaten 39-run partnership for the 10th wicket helped India avoid follow-on after conceding 445 runs to Australia and then being reduced to 213/9. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
