Published By: Aakash Biswas
Last Updated: July 24, 2023, 20:10 IST
Rahane took a stunning catch on third day of the West Indies Test to dismiss Jermain Blackwood
Ajinkya Rahane, stationed at the second slip, dived towards his left and plucked the ball out of thin air to dismiss West Indies batter Jermain Blackwood
When it comes to slip fielding, India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has one of the safest pair of hands. He may not have garnered enough runs in this series but has given his best as a fielder. On Sunday, he pulled off a one-handed stunner to get rid of top-order batter Jermain Blackwood.
The incident happened on the third day of the game, during the 87th over of the West Indies’ first innings. Jadeja came from over the wicket and bowled it fuller around the leg stump line. Blackwood looked to defend it but the took a leading edge after turning sharply and went straight towards the first slip.
Rahane, stationed at the second slip, dived towards his left and plucked the ball out of thin air.
Fans seemed to be well aware of Ajinkya Rahane’s calibre in the slips a tweet read, “Safest Hands at Slips”. Another fan commented, “Rahane At Slip. Fabulous.”
Safest Hands at Slips— Pandu Raj (@CSKianPanduRaj) July 24, 2023
Rahane at slip. Fabulous.— Anup MaHapatrA🇮🇳 (@am_i_anup) July 24, 2023
Another fan went on to make a bold statement suggesting that Rahane’s catch reminded him of Indian cricketing legend Rahul Dravid. He wrote, “Reminded me of Dravid Sir”.
reminded me of dravid sir— Akshay Chapadia (@ChapadiaAkshay) July 24, 2023
Another reply appreciated the 35-year-old’s fitness.
The fitness at that age— Abhay 🇮🇳 (@InfinityAbhay) July 24, 2023
Blackwood’s dismissal saw India get their third breakthrough of the day as West Indies stood at 178 with four batters down. Mohammad Siraj scalped five wickets in West Indies’ first innings to curb the Caribbean side at a score of 255 runs.
Ajikya Rahane has been a major arsenal to the Indian cricket team for more than a decade. The Indian batter has amassed 5069 runs in Test Cricket across 84 games for his country.
His 143 innings include an impressive 12 centuries and 26 fifties. However, Rahane has failed to impress in the Test series against West Indies. In the Windsor Park Test at Roseau Rahane managed to score a mere three runs in the game. He couldn’t make much impact in the second Test either scoring eight runs in the first batting innings.
West Indies are currently 76 for two wickets in the final innings of the second Test. They require 289 runs to win the match at Queen’s Park Oval.
