[In picture] Athiya Shetty reacts to KL Rahul's 77-run knock in 2024-25 BGT 1st Test
Athiya Shetty, the Bollywood actress and wife of Indian cricketer KL Rahul, took to social media on Sunday, November 24, to express her admiration for her husband's gritty 77-run knock in the ongoing first Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth Stadium.
The Karnataka batter had come under scrutiny for his recent performances and was dropped from the last two matches of the home Test series against New Zealand. However, with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill unavailable, Rahul was asked to open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal.
After a controversial decision cut his first innings short at 26, Rahul made the most of his chance in the second innings, scoring 77 runs off 176 balls, including five boundaries. On Sunday, Athiya Shetty took to Instagram to share a supportive message for her husband, writing:
“The one who never gives up, never backs down.”
Meanwhile, Rahul passed 3,000 runs in Test cricket during the ongoing match, taking his total to 3,084 runs from 54 games, with 16 half-centuries and eight centuries to his name.
KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal's 201-run partnership puts India on top in the first 2024-25 BGT Test
The visitors had a tough first innings, being dismissed for just 150. However, the bowlers made a remarkable comeback, with captain Jasprit Bumrah leading the charge and taking five wickets as Australia were bowled out for 104, giving India a 46-run lead.
In response, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal set a new record with a 201-run opening partnership off 383 balls. This marked the first time since 2004 that an Indian opening pair had shared a 100-run stand on Australian soil in Test cricket. Additionally, it now stands as India's highest opening partnership in Tests on Australian soil.
While Rahul was dismissed for 77, Jaiswal brought up his fourth Test century. At the time of writing, the visitors were 255/1 after 80 overs, with Jaiswal (137) and Devdutt Padikkal (17) at the crease, holding a lead of 301 runs.