'The one who never gives up...': Athiya Shetty reacts to husband KL Rahul's 77-run knock in record-breaking partnership in Perth Test

KL Rahul batted patiently on the bouncy track at Perth Stadium and shared a 201-run stand opening stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Sports Tak

• Sun • 24 Nov 2024

KL Rahul going out to bat on Day 3 of Perth Test: Bollywood actress Athiya Shetty at an event.

Athiya Shetty, KL Rahul

Highlights:

KL Rahul scored 77 runs from 176 balls including five fours.

Rahul lost his wicket to Mitchell Starc in both innings.

Rahul opened the innings in the absence of Rohit Sharma.

Many questioned KL Rahul's selection in the playing eleven for the Perth Test in the absence of captain Rohit Sharma. While head coach Gautam Gambhir and team management backed him to open, a few former cricketers wanted him to bat in the middle order. However, an under-pressure Rahul proved the naysayers wrong in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 opener. After becoming a victim of a dodgy decision by the third umpire without conclusive evidence, Rahul played a patient knock of 77 and shared a record-breaking partnership of 201 with his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal. As Rahul silenced his critics, his wife Athiya Shetty took to Instagram to congratulate him.

"The one who never gives up, never backs down (heart emoji)," the Bollywood actress posted in her Instagram story with a photo of Rahul acknowledging the crowd.

Rahul and Jaiswal shared the highest opening partnership for India on Australian soil. They put on 201 runs from 63 overs. Rahul missed a chance to score his second Test century on Australian soil as he edged one to Alex Carey off left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc's bowling in the first session of Day 3. In the first innings as well, Starc dismissed him. The 32-year-old hit five fours in his knock of 77 from 176 deliveries. When Rahul departed, India had a lead of 247 runs in the bag.

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Rahul set to get a big payday at mega auction

Meanwhile, Rahul is one of the promiment captaincy candidates in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 mega auction which is scheduled to take place after Day 3's play. The former Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain is set to go for a hefty price as multiple franchises will be looking for a captain.

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It is speculated that he might go to his former franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The Karnataka-born batter has also expressed interest in franchises like Gujarat Titans (GT) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) where he likes the team environment. The wicketkeeper-batter has already said that captaincy is not a deal-breaker for him. He wants respect and stability from the next franchise he represents.