A lot happened during the Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Lucknow Super Giants clash in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on Monday. Virat Kohli was central to multiple altercations on the field, be it with LSG pacer Naveen-ul-Haq or Gautam Gambhir. However, Kohli was also central to a heartwarming moment on the field, as he and RCB pacer Mohammed Siraj checked in on injured KL Rahul who had sustained an injury in the same match. Kohli and Siraj's gesture for Rahul has won the hearts of many fans.
Rahul sustained a hamstring injury while chasing a ball near the boundary rope in the match against RCB. He didn't field after that incident in the game and only came out to bat in the final moments, purely out of necessity.
After LSG lost the match, Kohli and Gambhir had a much-talked-about altercation on the field that earned both of them a fine of 100 percent on their match fee. However, after the storm in the middle, Kohli had a chat with Rahul in a compassionate manner and he seemed to have enquired about his well-being.
Rahul limped off the field with the help of the team physio and a teammate, who was in the reserve. He was finding it difficult to walk and lay on the ground writhing in pain for quite some time after what seemed like a pulled thigh muscle while chasing a ball racing to the boundary.
He first held his right thigh and limped before collapsing onto the ground.
The injury happened off the last ball of the second over when Faf du Plessis punched a Marcus Stoinis delivery through the extra cover region and Rahul sprinted to save an imminent boundary. It was vice-captain Krunal Pandya, who took charge with Ayush Badoni coming out to open alongside Kyle Mayers.
The extent of both injuries is yet to be ascertained as he didn't come out to bat and TV cameras showed him sitting in the dressing room. He looked in considerable pain and was seen applying some ointment to the injured area.
If it is a quadriceps muscle tear and not a pull, his participation in the World Test Championship final, where he is a wicket-keeping option, could be in jeopardy.
With PTI inputs