What would have made India victorious reveals KL Rahul

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KL Rahul played an useful knock of 79 runs in the second innings at the Eden Gardens. Image Source: XtraTime

Kolkata: Indian cricket team’s star opening batsman KL Rahul thinks that if the home team could get five or six overs more, they would won the first of three-match Test series at the Eden Gardens today.

In the final session, India’s star pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4/8) and (2/34) fired their all cylinders in the final session of Day 5 to reduce the visitors to 75/7. Sri Lanka had to chase 231 in the last session, but just when everybody started to think that the World No.1 side would win the match, the umpires stopped the game due to poor light.

“These are the kind of matches you look forward to. We could have made a match out of it if we had five or six overs more. It’s a good experience for all of us. I don’t think I played a game like this personally — shortened and rain- curtailed but goes down to the wire. It was very exciting,” Rahul said at the post-match media conference.

Rahul also added that on a pitch like this it would have been great if they have had full five days of cricket.

“It was absolutely an exciting game. On a wicket like this, it would have been great if we had have five days of cricket,” said Rahul.

According to the Indian opener the pitch helped all the pacers a lot on all days.

“This wicket had something for pacers on all days.

Towards the end, yesterday cracks opened up a bit more, so there was more seam movement. A lot of swing was on offer during first two days because of the dampness,” added Rahul.

Rahul feels that if Sri Lanka would bat first on this pitch, the situation would have been totally different.

“It would have been a completely different situation if they batted first but that’s how it goes. We enjoyed the challenge batting first and it was a good experience for all of us,” he said.

Rahul was all praise for Suranga Lakmal, who got seven wickets in the match.

“Lakmal bowled rally well and there was help for for pacers. Our bowlers produced some beauties in the first innings. We beat the bat a lot but they were lucky as none of the edges carried or went to hand. I didn’t think first Test would be so close after two rain-interrupted days.”

He played a fine knock of 79 runs in the second innings but once again failed to convert his start after his ninth fifty in last 11 Test innings.

“It’s obviously disappointing but I’m not worried. I never played for numbers. Looking back, I would have wanted to convert at least half of them into 100s and my stats would have been a lot different showing eight-nine hundreds.”

No one is more disappointed than him as the team wants him to convert the starts into big hundred.

“It is disappointing as team looks forward to me go for bigger runs. I can get runs much faster if I stay there in the middle to give bowlers more time and cushion. I am sure it will come and I’m not really worried.