India opener KL Rahul extended his purple patch with a cracking 11th Test century against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, recording his first hundred in the format at home after 3,211 days.
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Resuming from his overnight score of 53, Rahul waltzed to his century in 190 balls as India sped past 200 in response to the Windies’ 162 in the first essay. Rahul’s last Test hundred came way back in December 2016 against England in Chennai when he cracked his career-best score of 199.
The Karnataka batter now has 10 Test centuries as an opener for India, surpassing former India captain Rohit Sharma and current head coach Gautam Gambhir’s tally of nine centuries at the top. Only Sunil Gavaskar (33), Virender Sehwag (22) and Murali Vijay (12) have recorded more hundreds as Test openers for India.
The 33-year-old Rahul has begun the home season on a fine note. Last week, Rahul cracked his first First-Class hundred in India since the 2016 Chennai Test with an unbeaten 176 in a scintillating 412-run chase against Australia A at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
33 – Sunil Gavaskar (203 innings)
22 – Virender Sehwag (168 innings)
12 – Murali Vijay (100 innings)
10* – KL Rahul (94 innings)
9 – Gautam Gambhir (101 innings)
9 – Rohit Sharma (66 innings)
Despite the prolonged inconsistencies in his career in whites, Rahul has found a second win in the opening spot following the retirement of Rohit Sharma. Rahul has been on a fine run since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia in late 2024 and recorded his career-best series in England during the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Rahul was vital to India’s success in England, scoring 532 runs in five Tests, scoring two centuries in as many fifties. Former India wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel believes the time is right for Rahul to record one of most successful seasons in international cricket.
“He looks much more in control and settled now. I think that hundred against Australia A also gave him a lot of confidence, because when you head into a Test series after scoring so many runs, it makes a difference. It’s been an outstanding year for K.L. Rahul, his second-best after 2017. I think he will surpass that record this year because he is looking in very good shape,” Patel told broadcasters on Day 1.
Former opener Aakash Chopra reckoned Rahul must cash in on his form and improve his Test average, currently lurking in the mid-30s. “In my opinion, this is a very important series for KL Rahul, an average of 35 does not suit him at all. It is wrong, and if he needs to better it, then he has to write his name in this series, and he batted in that way today. The backfoot punch that he plays, no one in international cricket plays it better than him. Through this series and the South Africa one, Rahul has to boost his average to 42 to 45,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
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