KL Rahul takes captaincy from Shubman Gill, India get two quick wickets: 'He has done all signals; change evident'

Just before Day 5 began with England set to resume their pursuit of 371 at 21 for no loss, the Indian cricketers got into a huddle, as most teams would do before the start of a session. What happened inside that huddle was the interesting bit. KL Rahul, one of India's most experienced cricketers in the XI now, was doing all the talking instead of captain Shubman Gill or vice-captain Rishabh Pant. It didn't bring any immediate result as Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley thwarted India's bowlers for more than a session but Rahul once again got into the act, this time in a more decisive role in the second session. India's KL Rahul reacts(Action Images via Reuters)

As play began after a rain break in the second session, KL Rahul took over Shubman Gill's captaincy duties and started marshalling the troops. Suddenly, the Indian camp had a different energy.

Prasidh Krishna, bowling from the end which is generally reserved for Bumrah, pitched one up against his nature and found some movement and also the outside edge of a well-settled Zak Crawley's bat. And guess who was in the slips to complete the formalities? KL Rahul, who else?

India has dropped a few in this Test, but Rahul was not letting this opportunity to finally break a mammoth opening partnership go begging. The 188-run partnership was broken as India got their first breakthrough in the second innings.

India's hopes of clawing their way back into the contest got another shot in the arm when Krishna, in the next over, got one to jag back in from a good length and find the gap between Ollie Pope's bat and pad. It rattled the stumps of the first-innings centurion.

Rahul immediately called for a huddle and did all the talking, much like he had taken charge of the field placements for a brief period.

"If you look at the field now and ask who is captaining, it will be KL Rahul. He has done all the hand signals, all the field settings. The change is evident," said former England captain Nasser Hussain in commentary.

Rahul has more captaincy at the highest level than both Gill and Rishabh Pant. He has led India in all formats and is also the team's most experienced member after all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

KL Rahul's message to Shubman Gill

Before the start of the Anderson-Tendulkar, Rahul had said that he would always be around Gill to help him out in the field. “I reached out to Shubman the minute the team was announced, and when he was announced (as) the captain. (I told him) You will always find me around, any help, any guidance, if you need someone to share something with or talk to, I'm always there. But I believe you need to give people their space to really follow their gut instinct. If they need help, I'm always there,” Rahul told Sony Sports Network.

On Day 5 of the first Test in Headingley, Rahul, who scored a sparkling century in India's second innings, walked the talk.

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