IND vs SL: Cheteshwar Pujara, Aakash Chopra blame KL Rahul for Yashasvi Jaiswal's bizarre run-out: ‘He should have…’

Team India enjoyed a largely successful day one of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday, with Devdutt Padikkal (131*) being the standout batter. At stumps on the opening day, India were 288/2 after 73 overs, with Padikkal and Rishabh Pant (27*) being the unbeaten batters.

However, earlier in the day, India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was involved in a terrible mix-up with KL Rahul. In the 11th over of the innings, Rahul pushed a delivery from spinner Keshara Nuwantha towards mid-on and looked to take a single.

He set off for the run, but Jaiswal at the non-strikers' end collided with Nuwantha, who dived in a bid to stop the ball. Rahul hesitated for a bit, but when he saw Jaiswal back on his feet, Rahul proceeded for the run.

However, despite being back on his feet, Jaiswal stepped out of the crease and was unable to complete the run, eventually resulting in his dismissal. Rahul, on the other hand, looked in disbelief as Jaiswal made the long walk back to the pavilion after scoring 32 runs.

Pujara, Chopra speak on Jaiswal run-out incident

Former India cricketers Cheteshwar Pujara and Aakash Chopra spoke on the incident, and both of them felt that KL Rahul was to be blamed. “It was unfortunate. There was a big mix-up.

And honestly, I felt that when KL saw Jaiswal on the floor, he should have immediately gone back, rather than still going for that single. In the Test format, you don't mind missing a single, but there is a prize for your wicket. So, it was a bit unfortunate for Yashasvi," Pujara told Cricinfo.

Aakash Chopra felt that the cause of Jaiswal's dismissal was a "communication breakdown" between Rahul and the 24-year-old. "This was Yashasvi's 30th Test, and he has played at 30 different venues.

"He scored 32 in this match and got run out. I thought it was KL Rahul's fault because Yashasvi had fallen after the bowler's leg hit him. He wouldn't have reached the other end even if he had gotten up and run," Chopra said during a show on his YouTube channel.

"Rahul had already committed. He was watching the ball and wasn't looking at his partner at all, as to what had happened with him, and eventually, an unfortunate run-out. A run-out in a Test match is a bad way to get out. It was a communication breakdown. Life is not that fair sometimes," the 48-year-old explained.

KL Rahul went onto score 77, but retired out after sustaining cramps. India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said that there was nothing to worry about as far as Rahul is concerned and added that the Karnataka batter should be “good to go” to bat again.