KL Rahul had a wry smile on his face after Rishabh Pant received a huge lifeline.© X (Twitter)
Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill put on 167 runs in the second innings to give India a stronghold in the ongoing 1st Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. Pant slammed his 6th Test ton, which put on him on-par with MS Dhoni as the wicketkeeper with most centuries for India in the format. Gill, on the other hand, registered his 6th score of 100 or more, following a duck in the first innings. However, Pant got a huge reprieve after Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto dropped a sitter when the wicketkeeper batter was at 72.
The incident happened in the 49th over as the ball ballooned high in the air after Pant mistimed his pull. This led to a series of emotions from KL Rahul, who was sitting in the pavilion all padded up.
As the ball went in the air, Rahul left his chair in order to get ready for batting. However, fate had other ideas as Shanto dropped a sitter. Rahul had a wry smile on his face as he returned to take his seat.
Jab rishabh pant ki catch hawa me gyi to kl rahul ko laga out aur wo seat se khade hoke ane lag gye lekin catch chhut gyi aur unko phir se chair par baithna pada jaha siraj bhi has rhe the #INDvBAN #RishabhPant #KLRahul pic.twitter.com/e13Xb5BjP6
— CRICUU (@CRICUUU) September 21, 2024
Pant, who made 109, and Gill, unbeaten on 119, put on 167 runs for the fourth wicket to ram home India's advantage in the second session after they bundled out Bangladesh for 149 on day two.
Pant, a left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman, smashed the bowlers to every corner before a double off Shakib Al Hasan got him his sixth Test century.
The 26-year-old, who survived a near-fatal car crash in December 2022, took off his helmet and raised his bat to acknowledge a standing ovation from the weekend crowd.
He finally fell caught and bowled by spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz after his 128-ball knock that included 13 fours and four sixes.
Gill kept up the charge and raised his fifth Test ton before skipper Rohit Sharma called him and KL Rahul, on 22, back.
Bangladesh's chase of 515 is currently underway.
(With AFP Inputs)