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After the second day of the Perth Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday heaped praise on India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul and said that he hasn't missed out on his scoring opportunities.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul played a stupendous knock on Saturday. The two openers cemented a 172-run knock and put India in the driver's seat in the Perth Test. Rahul smashed 62 runs from 153 balls at a strike rate of 40.52. Both the openers stayed unbeaten on the crease at the stumps of Day 02. Speaking exclusively on Star Sports, Gavaskar said that KL Rahul eased up the pressure on Yashasvi Jaiswal with his performance. "I think what he's done is he's eased up the pressure on Yashasvi Jaiswal. When you have a partner at the other end who's looking so secure, like Rahul is doing, then the other partner who's got more strokes, who's a little more adventurous in playing shots, and that's what happened. So Yashasvi Jaiswal has actually flowered in his company. You can say that because he's seen the solidity of Rahul," Gavaskar was quoted in a release from Star Sports as saying. He added that it was good innings from India on Saturday in the Perth Test. "Rahul hasn't missed out on his scoring opportunities. When the ball's been pitched up, he's driven it gloriously through the covers. There is this straight drive that he played off Pat Cummins as well. Brilliant. It's been a very, very good innings. It's been what you would call a proper five-day Test match innings," he added. The Indian team made a fine comeback in the first Test against Australia after getting bundled out for 150 in the first innings in Perth. The fast bowling unit brought things back on track as the Jasprit Bumrah-led side bowled out the hosts for 104 in their first innings. While the stand-in captain Bumrah scalped fifer, Harshit Rana who made his Test debut alongside Nitish Kumar Reddy in this match, also showed his skills. The visitors concluded the second day's proceedings at 172/0, leading by 218 with Yashasvi Jaiswal (90*) and KL Rahul (62*) at the crease. Australia Playing XI: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood. India Playing XI: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (C), Mohammed Siraj. (ANI)
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