KL Rahul Folds Hands and Bows to Rishabh Pant After Daring Act in England Test

KL Rahul Folds Hands and Bows to Rishabh Pant: KL Rahul greeted Rishabh Pant with folded hands and a respectful bow as the wicketkeeper-batter returned to the pavilion, bat in hand, following his impressive half-century against England on the opening day of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy at Headingley, Leeds. A video capturing this moment has gained widespread attention on social media.

With India sitting pretty at 351/3, Pant danced down the track to a length delivery from Chris Woakes and dispatched it cleanly over deep square leg for six.

Woakes stood there in stunned amusement. So did England captain Ben Stokes, who could only smile in disbelief. But the best reaction came moments later, and not from the field. As Pant climbed up the Headingley steps to return unbeaten on 65, KL Rahul, standing near the entrance of the dressing room, folded his hands and bowed towards the left-hander in a mock gesture of reverence. It was equal parts admiration and banter as Pant refused to curb his aggressive instincts, yet returned unbeaten at the end of the day.

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In the last over of the day, Pant did not shy away from showing his fiery side as he hammered Chris Woakes for a huge six on the first delivery. India ended the day at 359/3 as Gill and Pant received a memorable applause from their camp.

As the duo entered the dressing room after the stumps, the entire team applauded them for their brilliant knocks. However, as Pant climbed up the stairs, opener KL Rahul was seen folding his hands and bowing down to appreciate the wicketkeeper-batter for his daring task. The moment is getting viral on social media.

Earlier in the day, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill laid the foundation for India’s dominance. Jaiswal became the first visiting batter to hit centuries in his maiden Tests in Australia and England, his fluent 101 showcasing strokeplay and maturity before he was eventually dismissed. Gill, in his first Test as captain, remained unbeaten on 127, a chanceless, composed knock that doubled as a statement of leadership.

During his knock of 65 runs, Pant completed 3000 runs in Test cricket on Thursday, surpassing former Indian skipper MS Dhoni as India's most successful wicketkeeper-batter in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries.

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Pant now has 1746 runs in SENA in 27 matches at an average of 38.80; he also has four centuries and six fifties to his name.

The innings' foundation was set by openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (101 off 159) and Rahul (42 off 78). Rahul was dismissed attempting to drive a wide half-volley against Brydon Carse, edging it to slips. However, this did not prevent him from actively supporting his teammates.

After Jaiswal set the tone, Gill took over with a captain's knock, showing maturity and poise throughout his unbeaten 127-run effort. The stylish right-hander struck sixteen fours and a maximum in his 175-ball stay, steering India to their highest-ever first-day total in a Test match on English soil.

Pant supported his skipper brilliantly, remaining unbeaten on 65 from 102 deliveries. His innings was laced with six fours and two towering sixes, and he looked in full control alongside Gill in their unbroken 138-run partnership.

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