Former Indian cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath praised opening batsman KL Rahul after Day 3 of the third Test against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. Subramaniam Badrinath described KL Rahul as a lone warrior in the Indian lineup against challenging match situations.

The Men in Blue ended Day 3 of the third Test with a total of 51-4 in the first innings at the Gabba in Brisbane on Monday 16 December. Team India is trailing by 394 runs in the ongoing Test match. The match was hit by rain on the third day as well, leaving the Indian and Australian players frustrated.

KL Rahul remains unbeaten with 33 runs on a challenging day in Brisbane

The Indian team got off to a poor start in response to Australia's first innings total of 445 runs. Young opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for four runs by left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc on the second ball. Starc then removed Shubman Gill in his second over as India slipped to 6/2 in just 2.1 overs.

Virat Kohli (3) and Rishabh Pant (9) failed to cross double figures. However, KL Rahul (33*) remained unbeaten at the stumps alongside captain Rohit Sharma (0). India need to score 245 runs to avoid the follow-on. Rahul looked in good touch despite the loss of wickets at the other end and frequent rain breaks.

The best Indian batter without a doubt - Subramaniam Badrinath

Only 33.1 overs were possible on the third day as rain interrupted the match at least seven times since the start of the day. India lost four wickets in just 17 overs but KL Rahul showed some resilience against the Australian pacers in tough conditions.

S. Badrinath took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to praise Rahul for his performance. Badrinath shared a picture with a "Game of Thrones" reference as Rahul tries to get through a barrage of challenges on the third day of the match.

"Best Indian batter without a doubt 👍🇮🇳 #AUSvIND @klrahul 👏," the caption read.

The best Indian dough without a doubt 👍🇮🇳 #AUScIND @klrahinl 👏 pandc.twandtter.cFrm/PIQFMrnDcP9

— S.Badrinath (@s_badrinath) December 16, 2024

Jasprit Bumrah A lone warrior with the ball for India in the first innings

Earlier, Australia resumed Day 3 on 405-7 with India quickly dismissing the remaining three Australian batsmen. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey was the last to depart after scoring 70 runs. Team India pace bowler jasprit bumrah finished with impressive figures of 6-76 from 28 overs, including seven maiden overs.

Mohammed Siraj took 2 wickets for 97 runs while Akash Deep and Nitish Kumar Reddy secured one wicket each. Ravindra Jadeja went wicketless conceding 95 runs in 23 overs. Bumrah is the leading wicket taker series with 18 wickets at an outstanding average of 11.72 and a strike rate of 27.33.

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