For all intents and purposes, Rahul put on a show on Day 1 in Mullanpur with Afghanistan as the unwilling spectators. He had them believe he hadn’t made contact so they left DRS be, and while he was in for a long one in this one-off Test, the whole thing has people talking about gamesmanship.
You can’t have an incident like that and not get some heat. One fan was quick to say we need some ethics in Test cricket and pointed out the nick. Then you have Graeme Swann at the other end of the table, lauding the chutzpah and making a quip about an Oscar or two being in order.
How one shake of the head flipped the session
The fielders for Afghanistan checked with the batter before they looked up, and that was the difference. Rahul gave a small sign to say he was fine, and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi put his faith in wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai’s word. The review never made it out of the pocket.
Replays put the cat among the pigeons. In the 11th over, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi lured Rahul into a cut, there was a sound, and Zazai was on to it. Rahmanullah Gurbaz wanted to go to DRS, but Shahidi put his foot down. A look at UltraEdge afterwards made it plain to see.
More luck, then intent
They let another one go in the 16th when the ball hit Rahul’s pads. If you follow the track, it’s an umpire’s call at best, but it was heading for the stumps. After two of those, the batter is in the driver’s seat.
Rahul was in full flow from then on and put in a knock to take him over 9000 first-class runs. He and Yashasvi Jaiswal put on a lively 41 before the left-hander was done for 24 off 32, with Saleem Safi having him in a vice down the leg side.
The toss, the plan, and a debut
Shubman Gill won the toss to put the batters out, saying the team had put right a rough night’s sleep and were in good shape. The idea is to set some markers for what’s to come on this home run.
With nine more Tests in the pipeline – five at home, two in Sri Lanka – the approach is to make sure your combinations are solid. They also brought in Manav Suthar in place of Harsh Dubey, a way of sizing up your options from the get-go.
Afghanistan’s regret and India’s gain
In a single Test, you have to be hard-nosed because you don’t get second chances. Afghanistan will be well aware they left the door open for India when they could have closed it. It’s not WTC, but your name is still on the line.
They’ve only been at it once before in a Test, in 2018 in Bengaluru, and India ran in by an innings and 262 in under two days. That’s a memory that makes every early wicket count for the bowlers.
Reactions, narrative, and what it means next
Swann put it best on air: “He should be put up for an Oscar for his acting there, KL Rahul.” Not everyone was in on the joke, though; some had a word for the lack of sportsmanship. Even a local channel made a point of building their Day 1 hype around it.
Afghanistan would do well to trust their gut and the men in the slips. As for India, it’s just how the old hands make hay from the smallest of margins. With the new ball out of the way, it’s Rahul’s call on how the day goes.
Here’s what you need to know from the first part of the day:
– No DRS and Rahul lives to bat on after an edge
– A spike on the UltraEdge to prove it
– An lbw in the 16th that wasn’t challenged
– A 41-run stand with Jaiswal (24 off 32) to start things off
Don’t be surprised if Afghanistan are a lot quicker with the button from here on in. India will keep piling on the runs. And the talk of where you draw the line on Rahul's methods will no doubt continue as long as he’s at the crease.
