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On Sunday, October 8, at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai, Ishan Kishan, opening alongside Rohit Sharma due to Shubman Gill's illness, faced a challenging delivery from Mitchell Starc. Opting for an aggressive shot outside the off-stump, Kishan unfortunately found an edge, leading to an easy catch for Cameron Green in the slips.
Shoaib Akhtar, renowned as the 'Rawalpindi Express', weighed in on this moment, stating, "Ishan Kishan should be patient and needs to play according to the situation. I know there is aggression and exuberance of youth, and he wants to stamp his authority and he wants to say that 'I've arrived on the scene'. But he needs to show patience," as he mentioned on his YouTube channel.
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KL Rahul: The beacon of hope
While Kishan's early dismissal was a setback, KL Rahul's performance was nothing short of exemplary. Akhtar was all praise for Rahul, highlighting his maturity and adaptability. "KL Rahul showed maturity as he settled in slowly, went through the tough times. And when the ball became wet, when the ball started coming to the bat, he started playing his shots," Akhtar remarked.
Rahul's unbeaten innings of 97 runs from 115 deliveries, adorned with eight boundaries and two sixes, was a testament to his skill and determination. His match-winning shot off Pat Cummins was the cherry on top. Furthermore, his crucial 165-run partnership with Virat Kohli was instrumental in stabilising India's innings, especially after the early dismissals of Kishan, Rohit, and Shreyas Iyer.
Indian spinners shine
Earlier, India's bowlers set the tone perfectly. In just the third over, Jasprit Bumrah made his presence felt by sending Mitchell Marsh back without troubling the scorers. While David Warner and Steve Smith grappled with the Chennai pitch, they held their ground against the Indian fast bowlers. Yet, in the 17th over, Kuldeep Yadav had Warner caught off his own bowling after the latter had made 41 from 52 deliveries, including six fours.
Marnus Labuschagne and Smith sought to establish a robust stand, but India's bowlers remained relentless. Ravindra Jadeja produced a delivery of sheer brilliance to uproot Smith's off stump, concluding his stint at 46 runs from 71 balls. Not stopping there, Jadeja in the following over first had Labuschagne caught by Rahul off a mistimed sweep and then dismissed Alex Carey without scoring.
Glenn Maxwell's time at the crease was curtailed by Kuldeep, who deceived him with a delivery that hit the leg stump. Shortly after, Cameron Green's ill-advised shot led to his downfall at the hands of Ravichandran Ashwin. Although Pat Cummins struck a few boundaries, Bumrah made a comeback to seal his wicket. Mitchell Starc's crucial 28-run effort propelled Australia's score to 199, but they were eventually all out in the concluding over.
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