“What was KL Rahul trying to do?” - Danish Kaneria questions makeshift keeper’s decision to go for Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s catch

Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has questioned KL Rahul’s decision to go for Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s catch in the first ODI against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Sunday, December 4. According to Kaneria, Rahul should have allowed the fielder running in towards the ball to attempt the catch, which eventually went to the ground.

Miraz was batting on 15 when he top-edged a slog off Shardul Thakur in the 43rd over of Bangladesh’s innings. Rahul ran behind towards fine leg and settled under the ball, forcing the fielder who was running in to pull out of the catch. However, the keeper dropped the catch.

The miss proved to be a massive moment in the match, as Miraz went on to score an unbeaten 38 off 39 balls. He struck Deepak Chahar for three fours in the 44th over as Bangladesh gained the upper hand in the chase of 187. They eventually got home by one wicket and four overs to spare.

Questioning Rahul’s decision to go for the tough catch, Kaneria said on his YouTube channel:

“What was KL Rahul trying to do? I really cannot understand. Why did he run for that catch? Don’t they know the basics that when a fielder is running in, it is easy for him to take a catch? But Rahul ran backwards and tried to take a catch while in an awkward position, which was pathetic. How can such things happen in international cricket?”

Defending a poor total of 186, India had Bangladesh on the ropes at 136/9. However, Miraz and Mustafizur Rahman (10* off 11) added an unbeaten 51 runs for the last wicket to lift the hosts to a famous come-from-behind win.

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“Not a single bowler tried the yorker” - Kaneria surprised with India’s bowling tactics

Analyzing India’s bowling towards the end of the match, Kaneria expressed surprise at the tactics employed by the Men in Blue. He questioned the short and wide lengths tried by the pacers. The former leggie stated:

“Not a single Indian bowler tried the yorker at the end. They were going for short balls and length balls and Mehidy Hasan Miraz rode his luck. Is this the kind of bowling you are taught? Is this how you bowl in the IPL?”

Mohammed Siraj claimed three wickets for India, while Kuldeep Sen and Washington Sundar picked up two each. However, the Indian bowlers failed to dislodge the last pair.