After the Lord’s hundred, KL Rahul is equal to Virender Sehwag on elite Indian list

KL Rahul cemented his position as a test opener by successfully starting the test series against England in England.

After scoring a chart-topping 84 in Nottingham in the first Test, Rahul showcased he is in peak form in red-ball cricket with a hundred on Day 1 of the Lord’s Test.

Rahul remained unbeaten on 127 at Stumps on Day 1 as he helped India finish strong on 276 for 3. Rahul along with his new opening partner, Rohit Sharma added 126 runs for the opening stand as they dominated the England attack after Joe Root won the toss and opted to field on an overcast morning.

With the 127 not out on Thursday, Rahul joined Virender Sehwag at the 2nd spot on the list of Indian openers with most hundreds outside Asia. Rahul has hit 4 Test hundreds outside Asia in just 28 innings. He has a total of 5 overseas hundreds in 24 matches.

Virender Sehwag had managed 4 Test hundreds outside Asia in 69 innings. Meanwhile, batting great Sunil Gavaskar is on top of the list of India openers with most Test hundreds outside Asia. Gavasskar had hit 15 of them in 81 innings during his decorated career.

Most Test hundreds for India openers outside Asia

Sunil Gavaskar 15 in 81 innings
Virender Sehwag 4 in 59 innings
KL Rahul 4 in 28 innings

Rahul also became only the 2nd Indian opener to score a hundred on the opening day of a Test outside Asia after the opposition won the toss and opted to field. Navjot Singh Sidhu is the only other Indian batsman to have done so when he hit 116 in Kingston against West Indies in 1989.

Sehwag took to social media on Thursday to congratulate Rahul on hitting his maiden hundred at Lord’s. The Kings XI Punjab skipper’s name will be etched on the iconic honours board at the venue.

“Played second fiddle when Rohit Sharma was going great guns and then accelerated to score a wonderful century. Staying not out at close would have been as satisfying as scoring the hundred. Well done #KLRahul, many more today,” Sehwag said in a tweet.

KL Rahul was not the first-choice opener for India even after Shubman Gill was ruled out of the Test series right after the World Test Championship final. However, after an eleventh hour injury to his good friend, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul got the opportunity to join hands at the top with Rohit Sharma in Nottingham.

Rahul made good use of the opportunity, showcasing class and patience for his 84 in the 1st Test. He began slowly on Thursday at Lord’s but played with a clear plan. After Rohit departed for 83, Rahul took the aggressor’s role and dominated the England attack with ease.

Notably, it was also the first time both the Indian openers scored 50-plus in the same Test innings of a Test match played outside Asia since 2010. Rohit and Rahul gave India a solid platform, negating the new-ball attack in overcast conditions.