[WATCH] ENG vs IND 2025: KL Rahul admits eye on century led to Rishabh Pant's run-out

Indian opener KL Rahul provided an insight on the miscommunication with Rishabh Pant just before lunch on Day 3 at Lord’s during the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Although India managed to match England’s first-innings total of 387, Pant’s run-out for 74 turned out to be a defining moment in the match.

Rahul took full responsibility for the dismissal, admitting that his eagerness to bring up a century before the lunch break led to the unfortunate mix-up. India had started the day trailing by 242 runs, but a resilient 141-run stand between Rahul and Pant brought them back into the contest.

As lunch approached, with Rahul at 98 and just one over left in the session, the duo discussed targeting Shoaib Bashir to accelerate scoring and help Rahul reach his hundred. However, in the attempt to rotate strike quickly and allow Rahul the opportunity, a misjudged single resulted in Pant being caught short of his crease.

“There was a conversation a couple of overs before that. I told Pant that I would get my hundred, if possible, before lunch. And with Bashir bowling that last over before lunch, I thought there was a good chance for me to get it, but, yeah, unfortunately, I hit straight to the fielder,” Rahul said after Day 3 as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

The delivery in question was short and wide, one that Rahul later admitted he could have put away for a boundary. However, when the ball failed to reach the rope, Pant attempted to rotate the strike to give Rahul another chance at his century. Instead, the moment backfired, as Stokes produced a sharp piece of fielding from cover point to run Pant out just before the lunch interval.

“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,” Rahul added.

With the series level at 1-1, India have arguably shot themselves in the foot by committing untimely errors, missing key opportunities to seize control. Rahul acknowledged that the Indian batters, including himself, failed to capitalise on their starts, an oversight that ultimately cost the visitors a chance to establish dominance at Lord’s.

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

Rahul went on to complete his 10th Test century in the post-lunch session, becoming only the second Indian after Dilip Vengsarkar to score multiple hundreds at Lord’s. However, the celebration was short-lived, as just two balls later, he edged Bashir to slip and was dismissed for exactly 100.