India openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s solid approach has been a
key factor in providing India’s innings with a solid foundation in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

There have been exceptions though, like the second innings of the Lord’s Test when Jaiswal’s uncalled-for aggression resulted in an early wicket which derailed India’s chase of 193.

The young lefthander seems to have learnt his lessons and decided to make amends on the opening day of the Old Trafford Test on Wednesday when the conditions suited lateral movement. Jaiswal’s watchful 58 off 107 balls stood out since he rarely attempted a false stroke.

Both the openers batted through the morning session unscathed in Manchester to provide evidence to Shubman Gill’s belief that this was “a good toss to lose”. Their 94-run partnership provided the perfect launch pad for the later-order batters.

The two have so far put on 285 runs in seven innings in this series. They are the first overseas opening pair to go unbeaten to Lunch on Day 1 in a Test in England with at least 20 overs of play in the last 10 years.

Jaiswal rode his luck early in the innings, with Chris Woakes repeatedly beating him on the outside edge. Rahul was his usual cool self going past 400 runs in the series.

Jaiswal’s innings was uncharacteristic in the way he grinded the attack. It prompted Alastair Cook to suggest on BBC’s Test Match Special that he must have been reminded of his responsibilities by head coach Gautam Gambhir after the Lord’s game.

Rahul was dismissed for 46 after Lunch but not before giving India a firm footing.

“KL has the right kind of approach to playing shots. Now, they say in England, when the ball is pitched up, you play the drive to get two runs, not a boundary... This is a guy who hasn’t put a foot wrong in the series and continues to perform,” said Sanjay Manjrekar on JioHotstar.