He struck 74 off 92 with nine boundaries.
KL Rahul was playing a promising knock of 74 before he was retired hurt on Day 3 of the India A vs Australia A match in Lucknow. The opener is also a part of the senior men’s team, who will face the West Indies for two Tests starting on October 2.
The right-handed batter had managed just 11 out of 24 runs during India’s batting collapse in the first innings. Later, in the second innings, three-wicket hauls from Gurnoor Brar and Manav Suthar pulled back Australia’s strings.
Earlier, Narayan Jagadeesan was dismissed for 36 runs. He is also part of the squad for the West Indies Tests. Together, the two wicketkeeper-batters added 80 runs off just 104 balls. Later, Rahul looked set at the crease, with 256 runs still to chase and only one wicket down. However, his departure with the physios raises concern for the senior team. It was later revealed that Rahul returned to the pavilion due to a fever.
At Stumps, India A are 169/2 after 41 overs. Sai Sudharsan (44 off 84) and Manav Suthar (1 off 8) are unbeaten on the crease. Earlier, Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed for five (off eight balls). The hosts need 243 runs to win on the last day. Skipper Dhruv Jurel, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and more are yet to bat.
The 33-year-old could be unfit to play tomorrow on Day 4, however, he should open for India next week. The Karnataka batter has amassed 3,700+ runs for India in 111 outings. He has 10 centuries and 19 half-centuries to his name so far.
ALSO READ:
Until the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal opened for India. The No.3 spot belonged to KL Rahul, followed by Virat Kohli. However, after the Test retirements of the stalwarts, Rahul is pushed up the order, while new captain Shubman Gill has taken over at No.4. This has left a deep void at No.3.
In the current scheme of things, India are spoilt for choice among the youngsters. Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Narayan Jagadeesan, Karun Nair, and Sarfaraz Khan are some of the plethora of options. However, only three have made it to the squad, while Jagadeesan is yet to play his maiden Test.
However, the dilemma may be down to Sudharsan and Jagadeesan. The former was part of the recent England tour, where he made 140 runs in three matches. Jagadeesan was called up as a replacement following Rishabh Pant’s injury, but he was overlooked in favour of Dhruv Jurel. DDP would most likely be in the race for the No.5 spot with Axar Patel.
In the ongoing unofficial two Test series, the Gujarat Titans opener is the leading run-getter for India A, with 192 runs, including two half-centuries. On the other hand, the Tamil Nadu keeper-batter has made 138 runs with one fifty.
Both batters have been performing exceptionally well. Gautam Gambhir and Gill face a tough challenge of finalising the playing XI for the first Test starting on October 2 in Ahmedabad.
Shubman Gill (C), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, and Narayan Jagadeesan.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
