Ananya Lohia , Chandigarh - India opener KL Rahul received an early lifeline on Day 1 of the one-off Test against Afghanistan after the visitors failed to review a caught-behind appeal despite a visible edge. The missed opportunity proved costly as replays later confirmed that Rahul had nicked the ball, leaving Afghanistan frustrated with their decision not to use DRS.

The incident took place on the first ball of the 11th over when Afghanistan pacer Ziaur Rahman Sharifi induced an edge from Rahul with a short-of-length delivery. The Afghan players appealed immediately, but the on-field umpire remained unmoved. While opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz appeared keen on taking the review, captain Hashmatullah Shahidi relied on wicketkeeper Afsar Zazai's judgment and decided against it. Moments later, UltraEdge on the big screen showed a clear spike, confirming that the ball had made contact with Rahul's bat. Adding to Afghanistan's disappointment was Rahul's composed reaction during the appeal, which seemingly convinced the fielding side that no edge had occurred.

Former England spinner Graeme Swann, who was on commentary, praised Rahul's acting skills, joking that the Indian batter deserved an Oscar for the way he handled the situation. Swann remarked that Rahul's confident denial played a significant role in Afghanistan choosing not to review the decision. Soon after the drama, India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal for 24 off 32 balls, dismissed down the leg side by Saleem Safi. However, the opening pair had already added 41 runs for the first wicket. Earlier, India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bat, while spinner Manav Suthar made his Test debut.

The missed review could prove to be a turning point in the match as Afghanistan squandered a golden chance to dismiss Rahul cheaply. While the visitors were left ruing their costly error, Rahul's survival highlighted the importance of decisive DRS calls in modern-day cricket.