Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar applauded middle-order batter KL Rahul following his brilliant performance on the fourth day of the second and final Test match of the series at Green Park in Kanpur on Monday. Rahul played a magnificent knock of 68 runs in just 43 balls, which was laced with seven boundaries and two maximums in his innings. The right-hand batter scored these runs at a magnificent strike rate of 158.14.

“What you see with KL Rahul, in the two innings that he’s looked really good and he’s looked relaxed, they have been innings where he’s been asked to bat quickly – where India had to score runs quickly. That actually seems to just help KL Rahul free up his mind. And I guess, in many ways, when you look at KL Rahul, even in the IPL or any other format, when he has to think for himself and chart the course, then maybe he finds himself a little outside his comfort zone,” Manjrekar said while speaking on ESPNcricinfo.

“So, when he has the license, where there is only a one-point agenda, like today, and even in that second innings [in Chennai], although, it was a brief innings, you just see the class of KL Rahul – the shots that he plays. He must be the best reverse-sweeper that India has got. Loved his commitment to the team cause,” the 59-year-old added.

In a rain-curtailed Test, India raised hopes of pushing for a result even though all signs pointed towards a draw.

With an approach of playing England’s ‘Bazball’ in the Indian way, India’s batters went all guns blazing right from the first over.

Skipper Rohit Sharma dealt with sixes, while Yashasvi Jaiswal showed aggression in a controlled manner. The base was set, and the rest of the batters played their part to produce a run-scoring fest, an unlikely sight in red-ball cricket.

India declared on 285/9, taking a 52-run lead over the visitors. With a handful of overs left, Bangladesh stepped up to see off the day without sustaining much damage.

However, Ravichandran Ashwin wasn’t in the mood to let Bangladesh get off the hook easily. His art with the ball and the mechanics of spinning the ball were enough to remove Zakir Hasan and Hasan Mahmud.

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