New Delhi: After dropping a sitter to hand KL Rahul a reprieve on the very first ball of India’s first innings on Day 4, Steve Smith pulled a blinder to deny the Indian batter a well-deserved century. Rahul was on 33 when he was dropped by Smith at slips on the first ball on Day 4 of the 3rd Test at the Gabba by Australian skipper Pat Cummins. However, he couldn’t make the most of it and ran out of luck.
Rahul resumed India’s first innings with captain Rohit Sharma from 52/4 on Day 4 and survived miraculously after Smith made a mess of an easy catch at slips. It was a poor shot from Rahul, who poked a shortish outside off delivery from Cummins and nearly saw his innings come to an end. However, Smith’s mistake saw him survive.
But it wasn’t meant to be the second time as Smith made no mistakes and completed a stunning catch to send Rahul packing off Nathan Lyon’s bowling in the 43rd over. It was a flattish delivery bowled outside off by Lyon and Rahul was looking to guide it through point.
However, he was deceived by the pace and could only manage a thick edge as the ball flew to the right of Smith. The Aussie star showcased his sharp reflexes to pluck the ball out of thin air with one hand. It was an outstanding catch from Smith as the ball had nearly gone past him when he grabbed it out of nowhere to hand his team an all-important breakthrough in the game.
Watch Steve Smith takes a blinder to dismiss KL Rahul:
WHAT A CATCH FROM STEVE SMITH!
Sweet redemption after dropping KL Rahul on the first ball of the day.#AUSvIND | #PlayOfTheDay | @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/d7hHxvAsMd
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 17, 2024
KL Rahul misses out on well-deserved century
It was a moment of redemption for Smith after he grabbed the stunner to Rahul but a moment of despair for the India batter, who was close to completing a well-deserved century. Rahul was dismissed on 84 off 139 balls as he missed out on what would have been a gritty ton. The Indian opener batted exceptionally well against the Australian pacers and was solid in his defence and technique as he churned out important runs under pressure.
After losing his batting partner Rohit Sharma early in the morning session on Day 4, Rahul combined with Ravindra Jadeja to share a 67-run stand for the 6th wicket and bail India out of trouble. The partnership helped India close in on the follow-in mark of 246 runs and post 167/6 at Lunch. Jadeja (41) and Nitish Reddy (7) are out in the middle for the visitors, who are still trailing Austalia by 278 runs in their first innings and need 79 runs to avoid follow-on.
Steve Smith plucked a blinder to deny KL Rahul a well-deserved century during India’s first innings on Day 4 of the 3rd Test against Australia at the Gabba. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
