KL Rahul's sudden rise with bat and gloves has been playing savior for India in the recent times. Be it against Australia or New Zealand, Rahul has left no stone unturned.
With that said, any mishap from a growing player, incidental or accidental, could draw heavy flak and Rahul is no exception. During the 3rd ball of the 8th over in 2nd T20I against New Zealand, Rahul, who seemed set to face an Ish Sodhi delivery, pulled off from the ball at the very last second, indicating to the bowler and the umpire that he was 'not ready'. The umpire obliged immediately and signaled a dead ball.
However, a closer look at the replays showed that Rahul was ready to play the ball until the bounce happened.
Luckily for Rahul, the ball was wide outside off and didn’t threaten to hit the stumps, and luckily for Rahul, he was up against the nicest opposition in the world.
This is not the first time Rahul is indulging in the pull-out action. During the ODI series between India and Windies back in December, Rahul did the same and managed to convince the on-field umpire to signal a dead ball.
Despite New Zealand being nice, Twitterati have began debating the incident. “Someone should tell KL Rahul to pull away properly if he is not ready to face a ball. Second time in the recent past he is done this "kinda sorta not ready" thing. Ball didn't hit the stumps both times. It's a controversy waiting to happen (sic),” wrote one Twitter user. “In how many overs India chase down the target? Depends on how long KL Rahul can bat!! (sic)” wrote another.
— Nishant Barai (@barainishant) January 26, 2020
