T20 World Cup 2022: "Those who don't believe in luck, show them this video" - Robin Uthappa on KL Rahul's runout of Liton Das
Robin Uthappa believes Indian batter KL Rahul's direct-hit run-out of Bangladesh opener Liton Das in the 2022 T20 World Cup clash on Wednesday, November 2, was a prime example of how luck plays a big role in T20 cricket.
On the second ball of the eighth over of the rain-affected match, Das' partner Najmul Shanto hit one to deep mid-wicket and called for two runs. Das stumbled a bit while taking the second run. Rahul came from deep and threw the ball flat from a 45-degree angle at the non-striker's end, stunningly hitting the base of the stumps and catching Das short of the crease.
Das was batting superbly at 60 off 27 and had taken Bangladesh to 66/0 after seven overs. His dismissal opened the floodgates in the Tigers' camp as five more wickets fell in the next five overs. Bangladesh eventually fell short by five runs of the DLS target.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Uthappa said the video of Rahul's run-out could be shown as proof that luck matters in cricket. The former wicketkeeper-batter said:
"T20 matches are such that nobody is out of the game and matches change within two to three balls. That runout upended the match and gave India so much momentum when they had none.
"Liton Das' run-out was incredible, it was match-turning... Those who don't believe in luck, show them this video. Luck exists. When you play international cricket or at the highest level, luck is palpable. There are periods when you see a player and think, 'it's his time'."
This was the moment in which KL Rahul turned the hero and brought the match in the hands of India.
#INDvsBAN #KLRahul𓃵 #ViratKohli𓃵 #Runout https://t.co/S8XV57wfO7
Although it was only a matter of inches, Das can't entirely blame the wet outfield (which made him slip) and his partner for his run-out. An observation by Twitter user Peter Della Penna showed that Das didn't time the first run well, and perhaps because Ravichandran Ashwin was the bowler, he was slow to get out of his crease.
"Perhaps they were trying a bit too hard" - Robin Uthappa on Bangladesh's batting approach
Uthappa, who played 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is for India, also criticized Bangladesh's batting approach. He said that instead of using the bounce on the Adelaide Oval pitch and "hitting through the line" (at the same angle as the ball was delivered), they applied too much power.
Uthappa explained:
"Urgency was needed but the way they went about it was wrong. They were trying to put in a lot of power. In fact, this wicket is such that you'll get the purchase even when you hit through the line. Perhaps they were trying a bit too hard."
Uthappa added:
"If you see, the ball was traveling in height and not in distance. In the sub-continent, we try to hit it up in the air because height is important, but when there's bounce, you want to hit through the line. That's what Bangladesh didn't do."
India went top of the table following the win. They now need just one point from their final league match against Zimbabwe to qualify for the semi-finals. Bangladesh can hope for a semi-final berth if India lose to Zimbabwe and they beat Pakistan by a big margin to take their net run rate (NRR) over India's.