"He has gotten out like that many times previously" - RP Singh on KL Rahul's dismissal in ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

Former India player RP Singh has noted that KL Rahul fell prey to an inside edge in the fifth Test against England, a shortcoming he seemed to have rectified lately. He added that the Indian opener tried to cut a ball that was too close to his body.

Rahul scored 14 runs off 40 deliveries in India's first innings of the final Test at The Oval. The visitors ended Day 1 (Thursday, July 31) at 204/6, with Karun Nair (52* off 98) and Washington Sundar (19* off 45) being the unbeaten batters.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Singh noted that Rahul lost his wicket to a long-term weakness, which he seemed to have resolved.

"If I see going back a little while, he has gotten out like that many times previously. I thought he had identified that shortcoming and worked on it. After a long time, KL Rahul got out after an inside edge. Five years ago, the inside edge was a part of the majority of his dismissals," he said.

The former India pacer added that the Karnataka batter erred in his shot selection, as Chris Woakes didn't give him the required width to play the cut.

"The ball was too close. He felt that it would swing more and go away. Once a person gets into that position, he plays the shot for sure. The ball he got out to was close to the body. You try to tap it and take a run, but he went to play the cut. I will consider it a mistake," Singh observed.

RP Singh opined that KL Rahul would be slightly disappointed with himself. He reasoned that the stylish batter had played out the tough time for an opener and shouldn't have gotten out after that.

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"He brought the cut shot out in the last match" - Ajay Jadeja on KL Rahul's dismissal in ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

KL Rahul was the second Indian batter dismissed on Day 1 of the Oval Test. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, former India captain Ajay Jadeja pointed out that KL Rahul had refrained from playing the cut shot in the first three Tests against England.

"He wasn't playing the cut shot that much when he scored runs in the first three Tests. He brought the cut shot out in the last match. Sometimes it's there in a player's mind that he shouldn't play a particular shot. Then you start feeling good, and your game keeps evolving," he said.

The former India all-rounder added that the shot was potentially muscle memory from the previous game and that a shortcoming would be found whenever someone gets dismissed.

"The last match would be the only one where you would see KL Rahul playing the cut. Naturally, it carried forward to this match. A shortcoming will be found whenever a guy gets out. Either there was a shortcoming in your decision-making, or you couldn't do something physically," Jadeja observed.

To conclude, Ajay Jadeja opined that the cut is a go-to shot on the bouncy Oval pitch. He added that no player scores runs in every match of a series.