KL Rahul's performance in 1st India vs Bangladesh Test draws comparison to 'great Mark Waugh': 'The best part was…'

Not just with the bat, Waugh was also a nightmare for batters in the slip cordon. With an impressive 289 catches to his name, he is Australia's third most successful fielder in international cricket, trailing only Ponting and Smith. Despite not always getting the recognition he deserved, Waugh was a pioneer when it came to slip catching. His impeccable technique resulted in numerous 'Caught Waugh, bowled Warne' dismissals and served as a model for aspiring cricketers of his time.

Hence, imagine the magnitude of the praise when India's fielding coach compared KL Rahul's catch in the first Test against Bangladesh to that of the great Mark Waugh. Rahul may have missed out scoring runs, but was clinical in the field, grabbing two pretty smooth catches under the sapping Chennai heat. His sharp take at second slip in the first innings to send Mushfiqur Rahim packing was a lesson in technique. The ball was flying to his left, but a composed Rahul followed it, kept his eyes on the ball till the last moment, positioned his arms perfectly to his right and held on to it as clean as it gets. No wonder Dilip saw shades of the Aussie great in it.

"The best part of this catch was that KL was following with his hands. Nice, soft hands to finish it but by the time it is taken, you can see he literally finishes behind his body. If you keep having the proper position where you either open up the hips or slightly open the toe, it helps follow the ball even if it's slightly behind. And that was the technique you see the great Mark Waugh used to do. Even when the ball goes behind the body, if you open that hip, that little door, it allows you to continue in that path. And that was a great example," Dilip said in a video shared by the BCCI.

Rahul took another wonderful catch in the second innings, once again to dismiss Rahim, only this time at a completely different position. Closing in from mid-on, Rahul did brilliantly well to put in a dive forward and pluck it inches off the ground. It was Rahul's 150th catch in international cricket. Any lapse in concentration, and it could have been spilled. But that's exactly, as Dilip mentions, what made the effort special.

"Great in the slip cordon but also at mid-on, he showed that he is terrifically composed at the way he went for that catch because it was really dipping right in front of him, and to have that awareness to get his fingers underneath the ball and getting his timing right in coming down. With his height, I think it was a terrific catch to look at," India's fielding coach added.