KL Rahul
India's limited-overs wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul on Tuesday recorded his first duck in the T20I format since his debut in the format in 2016. He was dismissed for a nought during the third and final T20I game against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
It was in the very second ball of India's innings. Rahul rocked back to hurriedly pull a half-tracker pushed quicker through the air by bowler Glenn Maxwell down the throat of the fielder at deep midwicket. Australia had their first breakthrough early in the game after setting a target of 187 in the final tie.
This was Rahul's first T20I duck since July 2016 when he had made a debut in the format in Harare against Zimbabwe. Rahul was dismissed for a golden duck as an opener, also while India were chasing. Between the two ducks, he scored 1542 runs in 39 innings with two centuries and 12 fifties.
This was also his first single-digit score in 25 innings, the last one hapenning in July 2018 against England in Cardiff where he was dismissed for just six runs.
Talking about the match, the Australian batters were rather lucky throughout their inings. Matthew Wade survived an lbw scare after Indian skipper Virat Kohli failed to opt for the DRS within the alloted time. Glenn Maxwell was dropped twice and dismissed off a no ball. Steve Smith survived a missed stumping by Rahul.
Wade scored a 53-ball 80 to anchor Australia's innings while being ably supported by Maxwell's 36-ball 54 to help set another big total for India, who have been unbeaten in the format since December 2019 and unbeaten in chasing since February 2019, against New Zealand in Hamilton.
