Rahul ka yeh kehna ki run banana asaan nahi hoga, shayad ek chhota sa taunt hai England ke aggressive batting line-up ke liye, jo hamesha bade chases ke liye taiyaar rehta hai. Par sach mein, yeh pitch ab thodi si khelne lagi hai—cracks khul rahe hain, rough ban raha hai, aur ball thodi si turn aur bounce kar rahi hai. Yeh sab sunke lagta hai ki India ke bowlers, khaaskar Jasprit Bumrah, kal din bhar England ke batsmen ko pareshaan kar sakte hain.
Lekin thodi si baat ko samajhna zaroori hai. Headingley ka itihas bolta hai ki yahaan chases hamesha dramatic hote hain. Yaad hai 2019 ka woh match jab Ben Stokes ne Australia ke khilaaf 359 runs ka target chase kiya tha? Woh ek aisa pal tha jahan England ne dikha diya ki wo kisi bhi target ke peechhe jaa sakte hain, chahe pitch kitni bhi mushkil kyun na ho. Rahul ka 137 aur Rishabh Pant ka 118, dono ne milkar India ko 371 ka lead diya, par England ke liye yeh target namumkin nahi hai. Headingley mein last 10 saal mein fourth innings ka average 40.39 runs per wicket hai—yeh duniya mein sabse zyada hai!
Ab thodi si tareef India ke liye. Rahul aur Pant ki 195-run ki partnership ne match ko India ke haq mein mod diya. Rahul ka yeh ninth Test century tha, aur England mein unka teesra—sirf Sunil Gavaskar unke aage hain Asian openers mein. Pant ne toh history hi bana di, dono innings mein century mar kar—Andy Flower ke baad aisa karne wala woh doosra wicketkeeper ban gaye. Yeh dono ne England ke bowlers ko poore din chhati pe nachaya, khaaskar Pant ne Shoaib Bashir ke ek over mein do chhakke jad kar Headingley ke crowd ko josh diya. Yeh woh lamha tha jab India ne dikhaya ki unki nayi batting line-up, Rohit aur Kohli ke bina bhi, dum rakhti hai.
Player Stats Table
| Player | Runs | Balls | Fours | Sixes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KL Rahul | 137 | 202 | 13 | 0 |
| Rishabh Pant | 118 | 130 | 10 | 2 |
Par yahaan ek chhoti si chinta bhi hai. India ki batting ne last mein thodi si kamzori dikhayi—333/4 se 364 par all out, matlab aakhri 6 wickets sirf 31 runs mein gir gaye. Josh Tongue ne chaar balls mein teen wickets le kar England ko wapas match mein la diya. Ab, agar England ke batsmen, jaise Zak Crawley ya Ben Duckett, kal aggressive shuruaat karte hain, toh India ke bowlers ko apna sabse behtareen khel dikhana hoga. Bumrah ke 5-wicket haul (5-83) ka jadoo ab bhi baaki hai, par kya woh England ke bazball ke saamne teek payega? Kal ka din shayad ek aur Headingley classic de, ya phir India ke liye ek aur mauka chhoot jayega.
