India’s star batter KL Rahul made a great comeback as he played a brilliant knock-off in the Perth Test against Australia at the Optus Stadium. While battling in the first innings, he made 26 runs off 74 balls with three fours before Mitchell Starc removed him. Rahul was asked to open the batting since regular opener Rohit Sharma has been granted paternity leave. 


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The 32-year-old batter earlier faced a lot of criticism and as a result, he was dropped during the Test series against New Zealand. Coming to bat in the second innings, Rahul scored fifty off 124 balls, playing some extraordinary shots. 



The Karnataka-based batter also formed India’s first hundred partnership for any wicket in Tests in Perth. Coming out to bat in the first innings, Rahul also completed  3000 runs in Test cricket.



Previously, former India pacer Dodda Ganesh suggested that India should continue with the opening pair of Rahul and Jaiswal for the Adelaide Test even after Rohit Sharma joins the team.


“This opening partnership has to stay and Rohit will have to bat in the middle order. Hopefully, common sense prevails,” Ganesh said.


According to reports, Rohit Sharma will join the Indian team on November 24.


Australia: Pat Cummins (C), Alex Carey (WK), Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Scott Boland.


India: Jasprit Bumrah (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Sarfaraz Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Abhimanyu Easwaran.