"Brainless shot" - Fans split as KL Rahul gifts his wicket in IND vs ENG 2023 World Cup clash
KL Rahul gifted his wicket in the 2023 World Cup match between India and England at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday, October 29. The right-handed batter looked good for his 39 runs off 58 balls, including three boundaries.
The 31-year-old also shared a 91-run partnership with India captain Rohit Sharma for the fourth wicket to rescue the Men in Blue from 40/3. However, the Lucknow Super Giants captain couldn’t resist his temptations to play big strokes despite the need of the hour. He holed out to Jonny Bairstow at mid-on.
The dismissal took place in the 31st over, with India on top of the game. David Willey bowled it into the pitch. The spongy bounce left KL dumbfounded as he went through with the lofted drive. The ball hit high on the bat, and Bairstow took a simple catch at mid-on. With the dismissal, England made a comeback in the game, with only Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja among the specialist batters remaining in the playing XI.
Fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) came up with mixed reactions to KL Rahul’s dismissal. One user wrote:
"Brainless shot," while tagging KL Rahul.
Here are some more reactions:
In the tournament, KL Rahul has amassed 216 runs in six matches at an average of 108, with the best score of an unbeaten 97 versus Australia.
KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma help India bounce back against England after early wickets
England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and chose to bowl against India. The bowling unit delivered as Chris Woakes removed Shubman Gill (9 off 13) and Shreyas Iyer (4 off 16), while David Willey took the big wicket of Virat Kohli (0 off 9) before ending Rahul’s knock.
Meanwhile, Adil Rashid took the prized scalp of Rohit Sharma, who smashed 87 off 101, including three sixes and 10 boundaries. The right-handed batter was caught by Liam Livingstone at mid-wicket.
At the time of writing, the hosts were 164/5 after 36.5 overs, with Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja at the crease.
Team India are coming off five consecutive wins in the marquee ICC tournament, while England have managed just one win out of five games so far. A win will increase the Men in Blue’s chances of qualifying for the semifinals, while a loss could put last-placed England out of the semifinal race with just two points in five games.
Follow the IND vs ENG 2023 World Cup match live score and updates here.