‘Here comes the Oscar’ - Graeme Swann's makes cheeky remark as KL Rahul gets lucky against Afghanistan

India opener KL Rahul had a slice of luck during the opening session of the one-off Test against Afghanistan at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Saturday, June 6.

After winning the toss, India skipper Shubman Gill opted to bat first. However, the hosts could have lost Rahul early in the innings had Afghanistan taken a review following a strong caught-behind appeal.

The incident took place on the first ball of the 11th over when pacer Ziaur Rahman Sharifi delivered a short-of-a-length ball outside off stump. Rahul attempted an aggressive cut shot, and a noticeable sound was heard as the ball passed the bat.

The Afghanistan players immediately went up in appeal, but the on-field umpire remained unmoved. With the option of a review available, the visitors engaged in a brief discussion before eventually deciding against challenging the on-field umpire's decision.

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi appeared uncertain and consulted wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai, who apparently did not hear anything. Meanwhile, Rahmanullah Gurbaz was keen on taking the review and tried to convince his teammates, but the appeal was ultimately not referred upstairs.

As the Afghan players debated whether to use the DRS, Rahul maintained calm body language and indicated there had been no contact between bat and ball. His reaction seemingly played a role in the visitors deciding not to challenge the on-field verdict.

Moments later, replays were displayed on the giant screen, revealing that Afghanistan had missed a clear opportunity as UltraEdge showed a distinct spike as the ball passed the bat, confirming there was indeed an edge and that Rahul would have been dismissed had the review been taken.

Former England spinner Graeme Swann, who was on commentary at the time, couldn’t help but admire Rahul’s composure during the entire episode and jokingly suggested the Indian batter deserved an acting award.

“KL Rahul has played an absolute blinder here, because the captain and the keeper looked to him, and he shook his head. And they believed him. He should be put up for an Oscar for his acting there, KL Rahul. My hat’s off to you, sir. Here comes the Oscar,” said Swann on air.

“True batters never believe they are out despite the evidence,” Swann further added.

The missed review proved costly for Afghanistan, as Rahul survived what could have been an early dismissal and continued his stay at the crease after receiving a significant lifeline.