Ben Stokes refuses to check on KL Rahul after India batter goes down in pain; instead mouths words as he walks past him
A quiet spicy moment at Headingley, after there appeared to be some words said between Ben Stokes and KL Rahul after the latter was in clear discomfort.
KL Rahul displayed a solid fighting spirit with the bat against England in the first session on Day 4 of the first Test match at Leeds. The opening batter scored a gritty half-century to tackle the overcast conditions. Rahul held his ground strong and remained unbeaten on 72 at lunch, while he had Rishabh Pant alongside him at 31*. The two batters put India in a commanding position with a 159-run lead.
However, before the Lunch break, Rahul hurt himself after getting hit on the box by Ben Stokes' delivery.
It was the fifth ball of the 47th over when it nipped back in and hit Rahul on the box. The star opener went to his knees after getting hit, and he took some time to get on his feet, while Stokes didn't check on him.
He played the next ball cautiously and left it for the wicketkeeper. However, after the completion of over, he went on his knees to do some stretching that's when Stokes had a word with him while he was passing by.
Earlier, Rahul got a life when he was dropped on 58 at slips by Harry Brook.
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The duo of Pant and Rahul completed a 50-run stand for the fourth wicket in the 45th over, off 117 balls. Despite Carse striking early, removing Shubman for just eight and sinking India to 92/3, Team India managed to give themselves a solid platform to go all guns out blazing for the remainder of the match.
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Stuart Broad impressed with Stokes' plan for KL Rahul
During the Lunch break, English veteran Stuart Broad praised Rahul for scoring a fine half-century but was also impressed with the way Ben Stokes set the field for him.
"He has driven the ball so beautifully - but last night I really enjoyed the field Stokes operated with by leaving mid-off completely open."
"He had a square extra-cover and tempted Rahul to drive straighter."
"England have the option of going short to him for a period of time, like India did to Jamie Smith. Maybe that gets him out of his comfort zone and his shell, and he might make a mistake," Broad told the broadcasters.
