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Cricket

‘Always blamed and thrown out of the team’ – Fans rally in support of KL Rahul after being benched for final ODI vs SL

Cricket fans rally their support behind KL Rahul who was dropped for the final ODI match versus Sri Lanka which is being played in Colombo on Wednesday.

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Team India were asked to bowl after Sri Lanka won the toss and batted first. KL Rahul was dropped for the match as Rishabh Pant was given a chance to play the final ODI game on Wednesday. 

The wicketkeeper-batter was playing his first series having last played an ODI during the tour of South Africa last year. The 32-year-old batter was in decent nick with the bat in the first game but was out for a duck in the 2nd ODI on Sunday. 

It is a must-win game for India who are 1-0 down in the series after the 32-run loss to Sri Lanka on Sunday. The visiting side are on the verge of losing their first ODI series to the home team in nearly three decades. 

KL Rahul axed for final game, decision irks fans 

Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma decided to drop KL Rahul for the third and final ODI versus Sri Lanka. Many fans weren’t happy with the decision as the 32-year-old had just made his return to the Indian team and was batting lower down the order. 

KL Rahul was the wicketkeeper for the Indian team when Rishabh Pant was getting back to his full fitness. The duck during the second ODI match seems to have worked against him and the veteran star was asked to make way for Rishabh Pant. 

The addition of Rishabh Pant in the side is also an indication that the Indian team will be looking to be more aggressive. The men in blue would want to exert more pressure on the Sri Lankan spinners after their struggles in the first two matches. 

Sri Lanka got off to a great start with the bat as the opening pair added 89 runs for the first wicket. Mohammed Siraj and Shivam Dube struggled to get wickets with the new ball as Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando mixed caution with aggression. 

Pathum Nissanka was out for 45 runs from 65 balls after having hit five boundaries and two sixes. Axar Patel got the first wicket of the day when he had Nissanka caught by Rishabh Pant. Avishka Fernando batted well as he scored a fifty to take Sri Lanka to 107 for 1 from 25 overs. 

Here’s how the fans reacted 

India vs Sri Lanka KL Rahul Sri Lanka India
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