Anil Kumble: KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant Key to India’s Chase

“No draw, that’s for sure. That was a possibility, I guess, after Day 3 — but certainly not anymore. There’s been a lot of drama, and what this Test match has shown is that both teams have, at different points, let go and then pulled it back. It’s been a proper seesaw. India had a great chance — they did really well to restrict England to 192 and then got to 41 for 1. I thought Yashasvi Jaiswal played a very poor shot early in his innings, but Karun Nair and KL Rahul batted well to get to that 41. Then once Karun got out and Shubman Gill followed, it’s now slightly tilted back in England’s favour. India will need a massive partnership from KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant tomorrow.”

Speaking on ‘Match Centre Live’, Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar reflected on his match-defining performance:

“This performance definitely boosts my confidence because doing well in a place like England means a lot. I had specific plans coming into this Test, and Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) helped me shape and refine them in the lead-up. To see those plans come together on the field is incredibly heartening.”

Kumble spoke about the importance of KL Rahul’s experience and composure as India eyes stability on Day 5:

“KL Rahul is going to be the main man. If India are to go past this total tomorrow, he needs to be there till the end — not just give India a good start. Early on, I thought he looked a bit like Joe Root, reaching out to the ball, and that’s when there was a chance offered to Chris Woakes. He was lucky to be dropped. But from that moment on, he started waiting for the ball to come onto him, and once he did that, he looked the part — just like he did in the first innings. This is going to be a very important knock. If India have to cross the line, KL Rahul will have to play a major role.”

Kumble praised India’s collective effort with the ball:

“India’s performance with the ball was fantastic. I thought they consistently bowled in the right areas — they understood the importance of hitting the surface, especially with limited swing on offer. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, who was getting the ball to move a bit, there wasn’t much help for the bowlers. Yet, India stuck to their task. Mohammed Siraj was exceptional — charging in with great intensity and keeping the batters honest. But Washington Sundar stood out during that spell, picking up four key wickets — including top-quality players like Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and Jamie Smith. And then Bumrah wrapped things up at the end. As a collective, India bowled exceptionally well — there’s really nothing to fault in that performance. A target of 192 is one the batters would’ve backed themselves to chase.

JioHotstar expert Jonathan Trott praised Jasprit Bumrah’s impact and energy:

“We saw a few play-and-misses, and I’ve always said, Bumrah is an outstanding bowler for India. He’s the heart and soul of the side. He gets everyone going. As soon as he hits that length, he starts troubling the stumps and uses the slope really well. For me, he sets the tone with the way he bustles in and brings that energy. He truly shows what it takes to be a top seam bowler in Test cricket. Now, playing second fiddle to Jasprit Bumrah can be tricky at times, but we saw others step up in the previous Test match — and that would have given them a lot of confidence heading into this one.”

Kumble stressed the value of experience and temperament, calling the KL Rahul–Pant stand crucial to India’s hopes of chasing down the target on a tricky fifth-day pitch:

The duo of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant — both of them are going to be really important. Their partnership is absolutely critical. The way they batted in the first innings was impressive, but they can’t afford any indecision this time. India will need that partnership tomorrow. If one of them gets out early, the pressure on the other will be massive. I feel it comes down to KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja. For England to win this, they will need to get both KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant early — otherwise, the pressure shifts to their bowlers against India's lower order.”

Catch Day 5 of the third Test of India’s tour of England, today at 3:30 PM, live on JioHotstar.