Thank you for saving me: KL Rahul hugs Padikkal after unbelievable DRS rescue

SL vs IND: KL Rahul survived a close LBW call on Day 4 of the 1st Test, after Devdutt Padikkal convinced him to take a DRS review. After being saved, KL went straight to his partner and hugged him for saving his life at the crease.KL Rahul hugs Devdutt Padikkal on Day 4 of the 1st Test. (Screengrab: SonySports)KL Rahul thought he was out when Prabath Jayasuriya struck him plumb in front of the stumps in the 11th over of India's second innings. A sensational arm ball from the left-arm spinner, bowling from round the stumps, drifted in, beat KL's defence and grazed the front pad of the India opener.The umpire thought it was out and gave KL Rahul the marching orders. India captain Shubman Gill, sitting in the dugout, thought it was out as well and proceeded to wear his gloves, ready to walk into the field as the next batter.SL vs IND Live: 1st Test Day 4 Updates Screengrab: Sony Sports Rahul was ready to march off too, but was stopped by his batting partner, the new India No. 3 Devdutt Padikkal. Padikkal stopped KL and told him that his big forward lunge to defend the ball might save him. Reluctantly, KL took the review. For the longest time, as the DRS review progressed, it looked out as well. The ball was pitching outside off, hitting in line, and then the predicted trajectory showed it going over the stumps. Missing, said the DRS, with the ball going just over the middle and leg stump. KL Rahul was saved. Screengrab: Sony Sports The relieved batter breathed a sigh of relief and went to give a tight hug to Devdutt Padikkal, who was the only one who thought KL Rahul had been unfairly given out by the on-field umpire. It became one of the most memorable moments of the day, on Tuesday, August 18, as India continued their dominance in the first Test against Sri Lanka. However, KL was not able to make the most of his reprieve, after he managed to find mid-off in the 15th over of the match, once again against Prabath Jayasuriya.Rahul, who had been aggressively scoring runs till that point (35 off 47), tried to hit Jayasuriya over mid-on but ended up getting a leading edge. The ball went straight to Milan Rathnayake at mid-off, who made no mistake.India took a lead of more than 250 runs in the first session on Day 4 of the first Test. India's dominance was set up by Devdutt Padikkal in the first innings, with the left-hander scoring a splendid 167 to help India amass 426 runs. Spinner Manav Suthar then picked up four wickets to help India bowl Sri Lanka out for 284.- EndsPublished By: Kingshuk KusariPublished On: Aug 18, 2026 11:20 IST