The inaugural match of the ODI series pitting India against Australia took place at Mohali’s IS Bindra Stadium. In a twist of fate, the home team won the toss and chose to put the Australians to bat. Despite the early loss of Mitchell Marsh to Mohammed Shami in the opening over, Australia managed to recover, thanks to a remarkable 97-run partnership for the second wicket, primarily fueled by David Warner’s half-century.
However, the tide quickly turned against the visitors as they lost both their opener and Steve Smith in rapid succession. It seemed as though Australia was teetering on the brink of a potential collapse. However, a pivotal moment occurred in the 23rd over when Marnus Labuschagne narrowly escaped being run out at the wicket-keeper’s end.
The dramatic sequence unfolded when Labuschagne inadvertently edged Ravindra Jadeja’s first delivery of the over and attempted a quick single while Shreyas Iyer stopped the ball in the covers. This created confusion between the two batsmen at the crease.
Cameron Green, who was never keen on taking the single, signaled Labuschagne to retreat even though he had ventured quite far down the wicket. At this point, it seemed that Green had abandoned any hope of completing the run.
However, fate smiled upon Labuschagne as Shreyas Iyer’s throw from the covers was slightly wide of the stumps, and wicket-keeper KL Rahul failed to gather it cleanly. This fortunate turn of events granted Labuschagne a reprieve from what could have been an embarrassing runout.
— Ishan Martinez (@IshanMarti66419) September 22, 2023
Following this incident, Twitter users swiftly pointed out KL Rahul’s deficiencies as a wicket-keeper, raising concerns with the impending World Cup less than two weeks away.