Whatever the thought process behind this decision, the veteran expert Tom Moody was not pleased with this move.
In an attempt to save the boundary towards the cover-point region, KL Rahul pulled out his right thigh muscle in what was only the 2nd over of the game. The injury was so bad that the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain couldn’t even stand properly and required two teammates to reach the dressing room to get treatment.
Krunal Pandya took over as a captain for the remainder of the innings, as KL Rahul was not in the position to return for fielding. While Krunal Pandya did a fairly decent job as a temporary skipper, the injury to LSG’s regular captain is a massive concern, considering the overall quality of the player.
Chasing a modest total of 127 at their home ground, the LSG batters have had a tough time out there in the middle. The RCB bowlers were ruthless with the ball, and LSG lost nine wickets for just 103 runs in the 19th over.
KL Rahul, who didn’t bat till that point of the innings, decided to step on the field as the No. 11 batter to accompany Amit Mishra. Whatever the thought process behind this decision, the veteran expert Tom Moody was not pleased with this move.
Tom Moody, who had earlier been part of the coaching staff of the Sunrisers Hyderabad, expressed his disappointment in sending KL Rahul as No. 11. Moody felt that if Rahul was supposed to come in, he should have arrived a bit earlier at the crease.
“I can’t really understand. If he was going to go in, he was supposed to go in during the middle of the game and see if he can, hopefully, hit, you know, three or four boundaries. Get a quick 12, 20, whatever it might be, and hopefully cause no further damage to his injury,” opined the 57-year-old in a show with ESPNCricinfo.
Moody later added that KL Rahul’s pride forced him to bat after the fall of nine wickets despite nursing a serious injury.
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“But walking out when he did, I think it was more pride than anything else, you know, he felt as captain he’s got pride in his performance and his team,” concluded Tom Moody.
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