Mullanpur, June 6: Indian batter KL Rahul is being widely praised for his stint during the one-off Test against Afghanistan after a video of him confusing the Afghan cricketers on-field went viral on social media. The internet users are describing the move as "clever game awareness" and a "masterstroke". A possible edge from Rahul's bat led to an appeal from the Afghanistan players, but the visitors decided not to take the Decision Review System (DRS), here's why.
The incident occurred while KL Rahul was batting on his way to a brilliant century. As Afghanistan appealed for a possible edge, Rahul was seen tapping and shaking his bat as if the sound was due to the cracking of the willow and not from the edge. However, the replays showed that the ball edged his bat and went straight into the keeper's gloves. Afghanistan chose not to take the review as they were confused with KL Rahul's action and thought that the ball had missed the edge.
The fans believed that there may have been enough doubt for Afghanistan to consider taking the review. This led to widespread discussion on social media, where users praised Rahul's presence of mind during the tense moment. They also said that it was an Oscar-winning performance from Rahul.
One fan wrote, "Rahul confused the AFG team and made them believe it was his bat's sound. Well played Rahul." Another user joked, "If they had taken the review, he would be sitting beside Jaiswal in the dressing room. But they didn't."
A different fan commented, "Rahul showing it's his bat's handle sound, don't believe UltraEdge, it's a technical glitch." Several others called it a smart piece of gamesmanship, while some felt Afghanistan should have trusted their instincts and gone upstairs.
The experienced wicket-keeper batsman went on to score 100 runs off 165 balls with 11 boundaries. His innings played a key role in putting India in a commanding position in the Test match.
India ended the day strongly on 368/3 in 85 overs after choosing to bat first. Captain Shubman Gill remained unbeaten on 103 from 143 balls, while Rishabh Pant was not out on 50. Earlier, Sai Sudharsan contributed 81 runs and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 24. The Indian batters dominated the Afghanistan bowling attack and built a solid platform for a massive first-innings total.
