Ajinkya Rahane Gets Bowled A Ball After Being Saved By DRS In India vs New Zealand First Test

Ajinkya Rahane's joy of being saved by the DRS was short-lived as he was bowled by Kyle Jamieson off the very next ball in the India vs New Zealand first Test in Kanpur. Rahane, India's stand-in captain for this Test match in the absence of regular captain Virat Kohli, appeared to have left his demons behind as he looked in full control against the New Zealand bowlers on Thursday. But just as things were looking bright for him, Rahane chopped one back onto his stumps in the second session of Day 1 on Thursday. Perhaps the DRS survival in the previous ball had a role in it as it was a loose shot from the experienced right-hander.  

The 50th over of the Indian innings was quite an eventful one. It started with umpire Nitin Menon giving Rahane out caught down the leg side but the Indian skipper was quick to review it. Replays confirmed there were no inside edge and the decision had to be reversed. Rahane survived but such is the right-hander's luck nowadays that he was dismissed in the next ball. 

To be fair to Rahane, the ball was there to cut. It was wide, it was short but where the Indian captain went wrong was that he went at it with hard hands. He wanted to force things instead of just using Jamieson's pace and bounce to guide the ball through the gap. And he paid the price. Rahane got an inside edge back onto his stumps. 

He had to take the long walk back for 35 off 65 balls. The 33-year-old hit six boundaries in his innings. 

In the post-lunch session, India lost Shubman Gill (52), Cheteshwar Pujara (26) and Rahane. (35) -- all three failing to make a big score after spending substantial time in the middle. Shreyas Iyer (17 batting off 55) and Ravindra Jadeja (6 batting off 13) were holding fort for the home side at the break. Lanky New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson once again troubled the Indian batters, taking his innings tally to three wickets. After opting to bat, India lost opener Mayank Agarwal (13 off 28) before the hosts reached 82 for one at lunch, courtesy a 61-run stand between Pujara and Gill. 
 

Topics mentioned in this article

India vs New Zealand 2021 India Cricket Team New Zealand Cricket Team Ajinkya Rahane Kyle Jamieson Cricket