Out-of-Form KL Rahul Falls in Bizarre Fashion Again
India batter KL Rahul’s struggles continued as he was dismissed for a low score yet again in the second unofficial Test against Australia A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, November 8. Starting his innings cautiously, Rahul scored 10 off 43 balls, only to be bowled in a peculiar fashion by off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli.
The dismissal happened when Rahul, attempting to play on the back foot, misjudged the ball’s trajectory. Instead of offering a shot, he allowed the delivery to strike his left pad and deflect onto the off stump, cutting short his innings at 10 off 44 balls.
“Don’t know what he was thinking!”
Oops… that’s an astonishing leave by KL Rahul 😱 #AUSAvINDA pic.twitter.com/e4uDPH1dzz
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 8, 2024
In the first innings, Rahul’s stay at the crease was brief as well, with the right-hander scoring just 4 off 4 balls before edging a delivery from Scott Boland to wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson. Rahul’s form is a growing concern for the Indian Test side, especially following his recent exclusion from the last two Tests against New Zealand, where Sarfaraz Khan took his place.
Since 2022, Rahul has managed only 514 runs across 12 Tests (21 innings) at an average of 25.7, with three fifties and a single century. Despite his lean patch, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has continued to express confidence in him, showing unwavering support.
India A faced challenging conditions on Day 2 of the match. Rahul and Dhruv Jurel were included in the squad to acclimate to Australian pitches before the upcoming five-match Test series starting November 22 in Perth. However, while Jurel seized his opportunity, scoring a fighting 80 in India A’s first-innings total of 161, Rahul’s performance fell short of expectations.
Australia A responded with 223, led by Marcus Harris’s 74, securing a lead of 62 runs. In the second innings, India A found themselves under pressure again at 73/5 after 31 overs, with Jurel (19*) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (9*) holding the fort at stumps on Day 2.
