Former India coach Ravi Shastri took a dig at KL Rahul’s tactics at the end of Day 3 of the ongoing England vs India 3rd Test at Lord’s, calling out Rahul for “standing like a statue” while letting night watchman Akash Deep face the final over of the day.
India finished Day 3 at 58/4, chasing 192, with KL Rahul unbeaten on 33 and Akash Deep dismissed off the last ball of the day by Ben Stokes. The decision to send in Akash Deep as a night watchman in a tense run chase raised eyebrows, as he survived five deliveries under pressure before finally being bowled.
Shastri, speaking on air, remarked, “You can’t just stand there like a statue and send a night watchman in a situation like this. You have to take responsibility and protect the tail in such crucial moments.”
Rahul had earlier looked solid, but his choice to avoid facing the final over and let a lower-order batsman absorb the pressure backfired, with India ending the day needing 135 more runs with only six wickets in hand.
