In the second T20I match of the ongoing three-match series against England in Cardiff, India skipper lost the toss and asked to bat first and Eoin Morgan’s decision gave him rich rewards as the men in blue were down to 31/3 after the powerplay overs.
However, the fifth over of the innings became crucial as India lost Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul in a matter of just 4 balls owing to some silly mistakes by both the batsmen. It appeared like Dhawan was struck on the left glove and that impact left him in some pain as he tried switching the bat onto his right hand, halfway through running. Firstly, he was unaware of where the ball was and secondly, he only responded to his partner’s call and sprinted without a second thought.
Shikhar couldn’t get the bat cleanly into the right hand – it was never in his grip. And its first contact with the ground was outside the crease. Morgan almost didn’t appeal for this one as he was busy despairing his fluffed take. But he managed to get the appeal in and fortunately, the decision came as out as well.
England’s seamers have been absolutely world class in the game and as a result of that, even the in-form KL Rahul was forced to lose his shape and slap one on the up if he wanted runs. He, of course, ended up losing his stumps in the process. He went for a big straight drive over Plunkett’s head. But the ball shaped slightly away from Rahul, then went past his bat, and finally clipped the bails on top of middle stump.
Here is the video of both the dismissals:
https://twitter.com/videos_shots/status/1015282117570330625