Ajinkya Rahane's Blunt Take On Star's Dismissal That Changed Game For India
Ajikya Rahane feels Karun Nair's dismissal shifted the momentum in England's favour during the second innings of the Lord's Test.
- Karun Nair was dismissed LBW by Brydon Carse at 40-1 in India's second innings
- Ajinkya Rahane called Nair's dismissal a major turning point in the match
- Ravi Shastri described Nair's dismissal as a lapse in concentration and momentum shift
Ravindra Jadeja's resilient knock of 61 off 181 balls wasn't enough at Lord's as England secured a 22-run victory to go 2-1 up in the series. As cricketers and pundits sit to analyse where India lost the plot and changes that could be made in the next match, Karun Nair's dismissal in the second innings continues to remain a talking point. Nair completely failed to judge a delivery from England pacer Brydon Carse, decided to leave it before it hit him on the pads. The umpire had no hesitation in giving the batter out LBW.
Veteran India cricketer Ajinkya Rahane, in a video on his YouTube channel, called Nair's dismissal a big 'turning point' in the game for India.
"At that point in time, India were cruising. 40-odd for one, but lbw of Karun Nair that changed the game for India and England. I thought England came back in the game really well, and after that, they started bowling well, their intensity on the field, their fielders, the character which they showed was amazing," Rahane said.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri also held a similar opinion on Nair's dismissal, which changed the momentum of the game, in England's favour.
"Having said that, again at 40/1 [in the second innings], I thought that was a huge lapse in concentration from Karun Nair to leave a straight ball, a nothing ball, to leave it and open the door for England. I thought that the timing of that dismissal turned things around," said Shastri.
"You saw when Siraj batted, when Bumrah batted, when Jadeja was batting, once the ball was 40 overs old, they hardly put a foot wrong. They were solid in defence and to bring that target down at lunch, 82 to get, you thought in the next 10 minutes it would be done and dusted. But to bring that 82 or 83 to 22 was a massive achievement. So it just goes to show that [if] the top order had just been a little tougher and mentally stronger on Day 4, towards the end, this game would have been India's," the 63-year-old added.
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Ajinkya Rahane
Karun Nair