Yashasvi Jaiswal made a confident start to India’s first innings in the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday, but his promising knock ended in a bizarre run-out involving KL Rahul. The dismissal came on the final delivery of the 11th over. Rahul drove a flighted delivery from Sri Lankan off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha towards mid-on and immediately called for a single. Jaiswal responded and set off from the non-striker’s end.
However, Nuwantha dived to his right in an attempt to stop the ball and collided with Jaiswal. The Indian opener lost his balance and fell to the ground, while Rahul had already advanced towards the opposite end.
With the ball quickly reaching the fielder at mid-on, Rahul hesitated. Jaiswal regained his footing and initially appeared unsure about whether to continue the run. He then signalled to Rahul to go ahead, prompting the experienced batter to turn around and head towards the bowler’s end.
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In another twist, Jaiswal suddenly changed his mind and attempted to return to his original crease. That left both Indian batters stranded at the same end, with Rahul reaching safety first.
The fielder then sent the ball towards wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella. The Sri Lankan wicketkeeper initially appeared reluctant to remove the bails and looked towards captain Dhananjaya de Silva at slip. After receiving an indication from his captain, Dickwella eventually broke the stumps.
Cricketers love ball watching instead of seeing whether their partner can run or not
In June, a similar kind of run out happened when Gill was obstructed by the bowler.
Unfortunate Run-out for Jaiswal #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/hI0CbBJhOG
— Prateek (@prateek_295) August 15, 2026
The umpires reviewed the incident to confirm whether Sri Lanka had made a legitimate appeal before Jaiswal was given out. The opener departed for 32 off 37 balls, having struck five boundaries.
Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar, speaking on commentary, was surprised by the unusual dismissal. He felt the single was available but believed Jaiswal became confused during the sequence.
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“I think that was a run. KL Rahul is going to make his end quite comfortably; it’s just that Jaiswal seemed to be lost in his own world,” Sanjay Manjrekar said.
The dismissal came after India opted to bat first following Shubman Gill’s successful toss. The Test is particularly significant for India as it marks their first appearance at Galle since 2017 and their first red-ball tour of Sri Lanka in almost a decade.
