On Saturday, June 6, India opener KL Rahul had a lucky break during the first session of the one-off Test against Afghanistan at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.
After winning the toss, India’s skipper Shubman Gill chose to bat first. However, the hosts could have lost Rahul early in the innings if Afghanistan had requested a review after a strong caught-behind claim.
The incident occurred on the first ball of the eleventh over, when pacer Ziaur Rahman Sharifi delivered a short-of-a-length ball outside off stump. Rahul took an aggressive cut shot, and the ball made a distinct sound as it passed the bat.
The Afghanistan players quickly filed an appeal, but the on-field official remained unimpressed. With the option of a review available, the visitors had a brief debate before deciding not to challenge the on-field umpire’s ruling.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi was unsure and sought advice from wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai, who appeared to have heard nothing. Meanwhile, Rahmanullah Gurbaz was eager to take the review and sought to persuade his teammates, but the appeal was not referred upstairs.
While the Afghan players deliberated whether to use the DRS, Rahul kept a calm demeanor and indicated that there had been no touch between bat and ball. His attitude appears to have influenced the visitors’ decision not to contest the on-field verdict.
Moments later, replays were shown on the huge screen, demonstrating that Afghanistan had missed a clear opportunity since UltraEdge detected a distinct spike as the ball past the bat, confirming that there was certainly an edge and that Rahul would have been disqualified if the review had been conducted.
Former England spinner Graeme Swann, who was on commentary at the time, couldn’t help but admire Rahul’s poise throughout the episode and joked that the Indian batter deserved an acting award.
“KL Rahul has played an absolute blinder here, because the captain and the keeper looked to him, and he shook his head. And they believed him. He should be put up for an Oscar for his acting there, KL Rahul. My hat’s off to you, sir. Here comes the Oscar,” said Swann on air.
“True batters never believe they are out despite the evidence,” Swann further added.
The missed review proved costly for Afghanistan, as Rahul survived what could have been an early dismissal and continued his stay at the crease after receiving a significant lifeline.
