Veteran India opener KL Rahul admitted that the timing and nature of talented wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s dismissal before lunch on the third day of the Lord’s Test was “not ideal” for India as well. However, India had started the day 242 runs behind England’s first-innings score, but Rahul and Pant added a 141-run stand before the interval, when Pant was run out for 74 while trying to put Rahul back on strike to complete his century as well.

“There was a conversation a couple of overs before that. I told him that I will get my hundred if possible before lunch. And with Bashir bowling that last over before lunch, I thought there’s a good chance for me to get it, but, yeah, unfortunately I hit straight to the fielder. It was a ball that I could have hit for a boundary. Then he just wanted to rotate strike and see if he could put me back on strike. But, yeah, it shouldn’t have happened: a run-out at that stage really changed the momentum. It was disappointing for both of us. Obviously, nobody wants to throw their wicket like that,” KL Rahul added.

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However, Rahul went on to complete his milestone after lunch but fell immediately after scoring his 10th Test hundred, as India slipped to 254 for 5. Later, Ravindra Jadeja batted well to draw level with England’s first-innings score as well.

“Of course there’s a little bit of disappointment because till just before tea time we were in a really good position,” KL Rahul said. “Me and Rishabh had that long partnership and then we both got out… he got out just before lunch and I got out just after lunch. That wasn’t ideal. You had set batters in the top five who had gotten off to starts, so ideally you want one of them or both to go on and get a big score, that’s how you get ahead in a Test match.”

However, KL Rahul continued his good form, backing up his century in Leeds and a fifty in Birmingham. He said that his consistency with mental drills developed through work with a specialist as well.

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“In the last year or so, I’ve worked on a few mental drills. I spent a bit of time with an expert who helped me with improving my reaction time. These are mental games that help you get better with reaction time and things like that. I think a lot of other sports use it… I’ve seen this in Formula 1 quite a lot. I picked this up from one of the guys I worked with in Salzburg. I’m closely associated with Red Bull, so I had the opportunity to go there and work with some of the coaches. They work with elite Formula 1 guys and other adventure sports people who require a lot of this mental side of the game,” he said.

“So I’ve worked on that and I guess that’s the only thing that’s been different in the last year or so. I’ve always enjoyed batting long periods of time, even when I was growing up. I always enjoyed batting long hours and I could focus for long hours. I think a bit of that and a bit of this has just helped me in the last few years,” KL Rahul concluded.