KL Rahul scored a gritty fifty in India’s first innings during the Gabba Test on Day 4 after Steve Smith gave him a lifeline off the very first ball on Tuesday, December 17. Rahul, who returned to opening during the ongoing series, has been India’s best batter in Brisbane as the toip-order crumbled around him.
Rahul looked to be in fine touch right from the get-go and played some delightful shots along the way on Day 3 as he consistently kept losing partners. First to fall was Yashasvi Jaiswal, who spooned one to Mitchell Marsh off Mitchell Starc’s bowling. Shubman Gill was dismissed after Marsh took a stunner and Virat Kohli’s off-stump horror continued at the Gabba as well. Rishabh Pant would offer some support to Rahul as the Indian opener would play some confident shots.
As India closed the day on 51 for 4, the onus was clearly on Rahul to save the Indian innings. Once the play started on Tuesday, Rahul would take strike to Pat Cummins, hoping to get off to a good start. However, the Indian opener would have his heart in his mouth off the very first ball of the day as he edged one to slips, and it seemed like a regulation catch at that moment.
However, Smith made an absolute meal of the chance and dropped it. Rahul was batting on 33 at that time. You can see the video below:
Rahul was peppered with some rising deliveries as he was hit on the arm by Cummins off the next over. Rahul would then break the shackles a bit as he was served a half-volley by Starc to steer it to the boundary as he entered the 40s.
While he would lose his skipper Rohit soon after, another aggressive shot got Rahul to 49 and he completed his fifty in 85 balls. Rahul’s innings consisted of 6 boundaries.
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