New Delhi: KL Rahul was handed two massive reprieves in the same over as Australia missed a golden chance of getting rid of both Indian openers early in the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval. After Mitchell Starc dismissed in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal on the first ball of the match, Australia had the chance to remove the other opener early but fortune smiled on Rahul in the eighth over.
The Indian star, who retained his place as the opener following his Perth heroics, was extremely slow to get off the blocks in the second Test. After watching Jaiswal’s early dismissal, Rahul got into a shell and couldn’t get off the mark in 18 deliveries. On the other end, Shubman Gill cracked four boundaries in quick succession and adopted a counter-attacking approach.
Rahul’s slow start & early reprieves
The defensive mindset almost cost Rahul his wicket as Scott Boland, who replaced injured Josh Hazlewood in the playing X1. induced the outside edge on his first ball of the match. Rahul was quick to walk back to the pavillion but just as Virat Kohli was about to enter the ground, the umpire signalled a no-ball. The replays, much to the dismay of the Australians, showed that Boland had overstepped.
A relieved Rahul came back to the crease and got off the mark with a couple on the second ball of the over. Two balls later, Rahul recieved another lifeline as Usman Khawaja failed to hold onto a difficult catch at the first slip.
Rahul’s counter-attack & eventual dismissal
After the two reprieves, Rahul adopted a more attacking approach and scored a flurry of flurry boundaries. He took the attack to the Aussies and hit six boundaries in quick succession and went past Gill’s score in no time. However, when things were looking ominous for the Aussies, Starc dismissed the Indian opener in his first over of the second spell.
Rahul must be kicking himself for not converting a great start, especially after getting two lifelines. His luck ran out on 37 as he failed to get out of the way of a rising short of a length delivery outside off. The ball flew off the outside edge as Nathan McSweeney dived forward and took a sensational low catch.
AUS vs IND: KL Rahul received two significant reprieves in the Adelaide Test against Australia but despite these lucky breaks, he was ultimately dismissed for 37. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
