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India endured a difficult start in the second Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Friday after captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first.
The decision quickly backfired as India found themselves in early trouble, especially after star opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for a golden duck.
With the score at 19/1 after seven overs, the pressure was mounting on the Indian batsmen, and Australia’s bowlers, led by captain Pat Cummins, made full use of the favorable pink-ball conditions.
In a bid to break the partnership and assert control, Cummins brought in Scott Boland for his first spell of the match. Boland, who was playing his first Test in nearly 18 months, made an immediate impact, almost dismissing KL Rahul with his very first delivery.
Rahul, who was standing in for the injured Sharma, had yet to get off the mark after facing 18 balls, and the Australians were making the ball move through the air and off the pitch with alarming precision.
Boland’s first delivery to Rahul was a back-of-a-length ball, clocking 133.3 km/h, which seamed away outside off stump and climbed to a good height. Rahul, in an attempt to cover the line, reached for the ball, only to nick it through to the keeper, Alex Carey, who made a clean catch.
Scott Boland gets KL Rahul.
– it`s no ball..!
— MANU. (@Manojy9812) December 6, 2024
The Australian fielders erupted in celebration as Rahul trudged off, visibly disappointed by his failure to capitalise on the opportunity.
Also Read: India off to nightmarish start after Jaiswal falls to Starc on first ball: WATCH
With Virat Kohli preparing to walk out to bat, India’s hopes rested on the shoulders of their star player, who had enjoyed tremendous success at the Adelaide Oval in previous years, scoring three centuries in four Tests at the picturesque venue.
However, just as Kohli was about to cross the boundary ropes and take his place at the crease, the replays revealed that Boland had overstepped, and the umpires promptly called Rahul back to the crease. The decision was met with a mix of relief from Rahul and a sense of disbelief from the Australian side, who had already started celebrating the dismissal. The replays also showed that Rahul’s bat had not made contact with the ball, as confirmed by the Snickometer, which clearly indicated no edge.
Despite being given a second chance, Rahul’s troubles were far from over. On the very next ball, Boland again got one to rise off the pitch and move away, forcing Rahul to fend at it. This time, Rahul edged the delivery towards the slip fielders. Usman Khawaja, at first slip, dived low to his right in an attempt to catch the ball, but the chance slipped through his fingers, and Rahul survived once again.
The sequence of events was a mixture of luck and nerves for Rahul, who had narrowly escaped two dismissals in the space of a few minutes.
The Australian bowlers were in fine form, making the most of the conditions, but Rahul’s lucky reprieves kept India in the game. With the tension mounting, the Indian dressing room must have breathed a collective sigh of relief, knowing that their number three batsman had managed to survive two close calls.
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