KL Rahul was dismissed under controversial circumstances on Day 1 of the first Test between India and Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
During the 23rd over of India’s innings, the third umpire went with an inconclusive angle from behind the stumps to declare Rahul out for 26 off 74 balls.
Facing Mitchell Starc, the right-handed opener got forward to defend a delivery that angled across him. The ball passed close to the bat and was caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey. The on-field umpire gave it not out but Australia decided to take DRS, claiming a faint edge.
Upon review, TV umpire Richard Illingworth adjudged the batter to have nicked the ball following a spike on Ultra Edge even though the front-on replay was inconclusive.
KL Rahul looked distraught after the decision was reversed, suggesting that he hadn’t edged the ball. The members of the cricket fraternity also felt that Rahul was hard done by the third umpire and sympathized with him.
Here are the reactions:
Rahul’s dismissal left India reeling at 47/4 at the stroke of lunch. The visitors went to the lunch break with the score of 51/4 on the board. Rishabh Pant (10*) and Dhruv Jurel (4*) were the two unbeaten batters at the crease.
Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood returned with two scalps each for Australia during the first session.
