'KL Rahul was out but his disappointment understandable'- VVS Laxman

Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman opined that while opener KL Rahul's (46) disappointment at being given out caught-behind was understandable, the latter had a feather on the ball with his bat.

Speaking at ESPNCricinfo's Match Point, VVS Laxman was asked if he agreed with the 3rd umpire's decision to rule Rahul caught behind. The former cricketer responded in the affirmative.

Laxman reckoned that at the point of contact between the bat and ball, there was a clear gap between Rahul's bat and back pad.

Further elaborating on his point, Laxman said:

"Yeah, I thought it was out! Because when the contact between bat and ball happened, I thought the bat was well ahead of the pad. There was enough gap between bat and pad so I thought when the snicko came up, it was clear that the impact was between bat and ball. So, I think that was a fair decision."

KL Rahul was visibly disappointed after he was adjudged caught-behind by the 3rd umpire when Snicko confirmed there was a spike when the ball went past the outside edge of his bat.

It all happened on the final ball of the 34th over when James Anderson got one to nip away off the seam from KL Rahul. The ball angled in before seaming away, demanding a defensive push from the right-hander.

England took an instant review after the on-field call went against them. On first view, it looked like the sound may have been because of the bat hitting Rahul's back pad.

But the side-on-view made it clear that there was a huge gap between the bat and the pack pad when the Snicko showed impact.

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While Laxman believed that Rahul had nicked the ball, he admitted that the opener had genuine reason to be disappointed because the bat had definitely brushed the back pad.

Laxman added:

"There was a genuine reason for him to have that doubt because while the bat was coming down, it brushed the back pad, that's the reason why I felt KL Rahul was in doubt. Probably once he goes into the dressing room and sees the replay, he will accept the decision."

The on-field decision was overturned and a visibly aghast Rahul was forced to walk back to the pavilion but not before he had played his part in giving India a solid platform.

'Failure to convert the start into three figures might be the reason behind KL Rahul's disappointment' - VVS Laxman

KL Rahul wasn't happy with the DRS call after he was adjudged caught-behind on the 3rd day of the Oval Test

VVS Laxman further added that failure to cover the start into a three-figure score might be another reason behind KL Rahul's disappointment.

KL Rahul was troubled by the incoming delivery from Chris Woakes during the morning session. He managed to overturn the on-field LBW call when he was pinned on the crease by a nip-backer from Woakes.

He took a reluctant review and it proved to be a wise one in the end as ball tracking confirmed that the ball was sliding down leg.

Something not right with Rahul DRS": KL Rahul's dismissal off James Anderson in Oval Test sparks debateKL Rahul’s dismissal: There was enough evidence for the third umpire to reverse the on-field umpire’s decision at The Oval pic.twitter.com/iJhEp5TPYd

— Kanhaiya (@KanhaiyaMahor2) September 4, 2021

Rahul survived that passage of play and was looking really solid at the crease. He was on the brink of his 3rd 50+ score in the series before being undone by Anderson.

Heaping praise on Rahul's innings, Laxman said:

"He was batting well. He would have been disappointed not to have converted the start into a three-figure score and that's probably the reason why he reacted in that fashion."

The wicket of KL Rahul at the stroke of lunch threatened to open the floodgates for England seamers but a 153-run-stand between Rohit Sharma (127) and Cheteshwar Pujara (61) ensured that wasn't the case.

Sharma and Pujara departed within the first six deliveries after England took the new ball, but Virat Kohli (22*) and Ravindra Jadeja (9*) ensured that India went to the close of play without further damage.