'He’s The Main Man': Anil Kumble Names The Player India Must Bank On To Win Tricky Lord’s Test

July 15,2025
Blogs

FILE - Anil Kumble said there will not be a draw on the fifth and final day of the Lord's Test. Photo: PTI

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India need 135 runs to win the Lord's Test with six wickets in hand on the fifth and final day. They lost four wickets for 58 runs on Day 4 of the third Test against England while chasing a target of 193. The wickets to fall were Yashasvi Jaiswal, captain Shubman Gill, Karun Nair, and nightwatchman Akash Deep. KL Rahul remains unbeaten on 33. Ahead of the fifth day of the Test, there is a lot of talk around the match, with England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick saying that the hosts would take the remaining six wickets in the first hour itself. India spinner Washington Sundar, who picked up four wickets in England's second innings, said India will definitely win the match after lunch.
Amid this clamour, former India captain and legendary spinner Anil Kumble said that for India to win the Test at Lord's, Rahul has to be there till the very end to guide India home.
“KL Rahul is going to be the main man (for India). If India are to go past this total tomorrow, he needs to be there till the end - not just give India a good start,” Kumble said in his analysis on JioCinema. “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 also talked about how Rahul salvaged his innings by making an important tweak to his batting after being caught in the first innings off Shoaib Bashir.
“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,” said Kumble.
Asked about his prediction for the match on the final day, Kumble said the match is slightly in England's favour.
“(There will be) no draw, that is 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.”