[Watch] Zakir Hasan takes a sharp catch at short leg to dismiss KL Rahul for 16 in IND vs BAN 2024 1st TestÂ
Team India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul failed to get going in the first Test against Bangladesh at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday (September 19). His laborious 52-ball stay at the crease yielded only 16 runs as he was dismissed in the second session of Day 1.
KL Rahul, who had missed the majority of India's last red-ball assignment against England due to injury, returned to the mix and made it to the playing XI over Sarfaraz Khan in the middle order. He came into bat at No. 6 after Rishabh Pant's dismissal soon after the lunch break.
The wicketkeeper-batter took his time to settle down at the crease, with Yashasvi Jaiswal operating smoothly from the other end. He was up against a testing spell by Nahid Rana and Hasan Mahmud, scoring only one run off his first 15 deliveries. The responsibility on him increased after Jaiswal's dismissal, opening up India's lower order.
However, Rahul perished only three deliveries after Jaiswal's departure. The wicket-keeper tried to fend off a Mehidy Hasan Miraz delivery with soft hands, but he failed to keep the nudge down, bringing the short-leg fielder into play. Zakir Hasan reacted quickly to move to his right to complete a sharp catch and tilt the proceedings in Bangladesh's favor.
Have a look at the dismissal right here:
KL Rahul had played in the Duleep Trophy ahead of the Bangladesh Tests. He scored 37 and 57 runs in the first and second innings, respectively, in India A's loss to India B at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
India dependent on tail to push the first-innings total after KL Rahul's departure
Following the double strike which saw the dismissals of the set batters - Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, India were reduced to 144-6. With the new ball shine fading away, the spinners have also come into play. Mehidy Hasan Miraz's dismissal of KL Rahul marked the first wicket taken by a spinner in the innings, as Hasan Mahmud was responsible for the first four wickets while Nahid Rana accounted for Jaiswal's scalp.
At the time of writing, the all-rounder duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are assessing the situation while the score reads 165-6 after 45 overs.