WTC Final: Sunil Gavaskar reacts to Ajinkya Rahane dismissal says, ‘Only explanation is that he was going for his fifty’ – Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar explained why India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane played a poor shot to lose his wicket in the final of the World Test Championship against New Zealand at Southampton on Sunday.
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Gavaskar feels that Rahane was anxious to get to his fifty and wanted to tap the ball for the single when he was on 49. In the 79th over against Neil Wagner, Rahane played a half-hearted pull shot against a short pitch ball. He ended up chipping the ball in the air to the short square leg.
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“Only explanation is that he was going for his fifty, he was looking to get a single to reach his milestone by a little dab on the on-side. In the end, the ball bounced and he couldn’t control, in fact, the ball before that too he couldn’t control it,” Gavaskar reacted to Ajinkya Rahane’s dismissal in the commentary box.
Interestingly, Rahane played the same shot the ball earlier to the dismissal, he also got two runs on that ball. For the next ball, Kane Williamson moved three fielders on the leg side and the plan worked for Kiwis.
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In the first innings, New Zealand pacers Kyle Jamieson and Neil Wagner kept on chipping away at the wickets and India was put on the back foot. At lunch break on Day Three, India’s score reads 211/7 with Ravindra Jadeja (15*) and Ishant Sharma (2*) at the crease. In the first session, Virat Kohli (44), Rishabh Pant (4), Ajinkya Rahane (49), and Ravichandran Ashwin (22) were all sent back to the pavilion.
The start of play on Day Three was delayed by thirty minutes due to a wet outfield. Resuming Day Three at 146/3, India got off to the worst start possible as Kyle Jamieson had Kohli (44) adjudged leg-before wicket in the 68th over and as a result, India was reduced to 149/4 and Pant came out to the middle.
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