In the first Test of the five-match series against England at Headingley, Leeds, the Indian hitters' immediate priority was to fend off the new ball and keep the hosts at bay after taking a six-run lead. That's exactly what KL Rahul accomplished. Although the visitors may have lost Yashasvi Jaiswal (4) at a low cost, the right-handed batsman was supported by Sai Sudharsan, and the two of them maintained the scoreboard's progress.

Rahul's performance has been described as "very close to perfection" after he executed some excellent cover drives and straight drives. In the second innings, former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar lauded KL Rahul's cover drives, claiming that even the harshest critic would be unable to find a fault in them.

India's score at stumps on Day 3 was 90/2, while the tourists were ahead by 96 runs. KL Rahul and Shubman Gill remained undefeated with 47 and 6 runs, respectively.

KL Rahul is looking too good in the middle of the second innings, and Manjrekar only hopes that he keeps up his work. Rahul was already in the runs during the first innings. But after chasing a wide ball, he gave away his wicket for 42 runs.

"I only want to point out that KL Rahul's inning was nearly flawless. I mean, truthfully, he didn't make a single mistake. Even the harshest reviewer would have given that cover drive a perfect score of ten because it was flawless in every way, including the back-foot punch. Manjrekar said on JioHotstar following the end of Day 3 that KL Rahul has a lot of responsibility.

"That shot is flawless. Look at another flawless cover drive, and then one more after that, even though it's a perfect straight drive. Thus, KL Rahul, touch wood, looks too good," he said.

'It's great to see Sai get some runs.'

As he was dismissed for a duck in the first innings of his Test debut for India, Sai Sudharsan was unable to contribute to the scoring. But the young left-hander hit 30 runs in the second inning.

Yet, in contrast to the flow of the game, Sai Sudharsan was out bowled by Stokes when he flicked the ball directly to Zak Crawley.

It was great to see Sai Sudharsan get some runs, according to Manjrekar. Additionally, he argued that the young player's performance in the second innings warrants a chance to play in the upcoming two Tests.

“He must be so let down since a batter feels like they have accomplished their task when they reach 30 points, but it was wonderful to see him score. He bats in a very old-fashioned manner, and you have the measure of the bowling assault. He hits the ball late, you know. Manjrekar stated, "There is no trigger action."

India defeated England for 465 runs earlier on Day 3, giving them a six-run advantage. As he returned with five wickets, Jasprit Bumrah was once again the choice of the bowlers. Harry Brook was out for 99 while Ollie Pope hit a century for England.

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