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A video of KL Rahul touching the pitch at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru after the conclusion of the India vs New Zealand Test match has gone viral on social media. Fans interpreted the gesture in several different ways.
The Kiwis hammered India by eight wickets in the Bengaluru Test on Sunday, October 20. Batting first, the hosts were bundled out for 46 and then allowed New Zealand to post 402. India put up a defiant 462 in their second innings, but the visitors chased down a target of 107 without much trouble on Day 5, winning their first Test match in India since 1988.
Rahul had a poor match on his home ground, registering scores of 0 and 12, as India succumbed to an unexpected defeat. As the players began to walk off the field after the loss, the Karnataka batter was seen bowing to the pitch and paying respect to it by touching it with his hand and then placing the same on his heart.
There were many reactions to Rahul's gesture of touching the Chinnaswamy pitch. Some fans claimed that he had probably played his last Test match, while others pointed out that it was just a simple gesture of a local boy respecting his home surface. Below are some of the reactions from X users to the viral video.
"Looks like he realised it was his last match at his home ground" - @sjlazars
"Adiós KL. Thanks for your service. Have a great retirement" - @iamvinitshinde
Notably, cricketers consider the pitch sacred and are often seen paying their reverence to the 22 yards. It seems Rahul did the same particularly since he was playing on his home ground.
Parthiv Patel backs KL Rahul over Sarfaraz Khan for IND vs NZ 2024 2nd Test
Following Rahul's twin failures in Bengaluru, there will be pressure on India's team management to pick the playing XI for the second Test against New Zealand. Sarfaraz Khan, who played the first Test since Shubman Gill was unavailable, scored 150 in the second innings.
However, former India keeper Parthiv Patel has backed Rahul over Sarfaraz for the second Test even if Gill is fit. He told Colors Cineplex:
"The question will be whether Sarfaraz Khan will get to play or they will go with KL Rahul. I will still play KL Rahul, the way the team has shown faith in him. I am thinking like that based on how the team's thinking has been."
The second Test between India and New Zealand will be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune from October 24 to October 28.
