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Key Points

KL Rahul has entered an exclusive club of Indian Test openers with his 10th century. He now stands alongside legends Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag and Murali Vijay in this elite group. This century ended an astonishing 3211-day wait for a home Test hundred, the longest such gap for any Indian batter. The knock continues Rahul's outstanding form this year where he's scored 649 runs in just seven Test matches.

Key Points: KL Rahul Joins Gavaskar Sehwag in Elite Test Opener Century Club

  • Rahul surpassed Gambhir and Rohit Sharma who both have nine Test centuries as openers
  • His 197-ball century came against West Indies at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium
  • This marks his best Test year with 649 runs and three centuries in seven matches
  • The 3211-day gap between home centuries is longest for any Indian batter
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KL Rahul joins Gavaskar, Sehwag, Vijay in elite company following Ahmedabad ton

KL Rahul becomes only 4th Indian opener with 10+ Test centuries after Gavaskar, Sehwag and Vijay, ending 3211-day wait for home ton against West Indies.

"3211 days gap between the first and second Test hundred at home for KL Rahul - it is the longest such gap for an Indian batter - Wisden"

Ahmedabad, October 3

India opener KL Rahul joined an elite list of batters after bringing up his 10th century as a Test opener, becoming only the fourth Indian to achieve the milestone in the longest format.

Rahul surpassed Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma, both of whom have nine Test centuries as openers, during the ongoing first Test against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

During the first Test against the West Indies at Ahmedabad, KL scored a 197-ball 100 with 12 fours. However, he could not convert this knock into a bigger score, being dismissed by Jomel Warrican at the start of the second session, handing an easy catch to Justin Greaves at short extra-cover.

Now, he joins Sunil Gavaskar (33 centuries), Virender Sehwag (22 centuries) and Murali Vijay (12 centuries) as the fourth member of the 10-plus century club as a Test opener for India. Gambhir and Rohit have managed nine centuries as Test openers for India, as per Wisden.

He had last managed a century at home soil against England in December 2016 at Chennai, scoring 199. This is the fourth-longest an Indian has had to wait between two centuries at home, with Ravichandran Ashwin's wait at 36 innings being the longest. 3211 days gap between the first and second Test hundred at home for KL Rahul - it is the longest such gap for an Indian batter between two centuries at home.

This year officially marks KL at his best in Tests, with 649 runs in seven matches and 13 innings at an average of 54.08, with three centuries and two fifties and a best score of 137. His best Test series outing also came this year against England in the UK, ending the five-match series as the third-highest run-getter with 532 runs in 10 innings at an average of 53.20, with two centuries and two fifties.

At the end of the first session on day two, India was 218/3, with KL (100*) and Jurel (14*) unbeaten. India leads by 56 runs in response to WI's first innings total of 162 runs.

Justin Greaves (32 in 48 balls, with four boundaries) was the top scorer for WI. Mohammed Siraj (four wickets) and Jasprit Bumrah (three wickets) dominated the WI batting.

Brief Scores: India: 218/3 (KL Rahul 100*, Shubman Gill 50, Roston Chase 2/37) vs WI: 162 (Justin Greaves 32, Shai Hope 26, Mohammed Siraj 4/40).

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Joining Gavaskar, Sehwag and Vijay in that elite list is no small achievement! But honestly, he should have converted this into a bigger score. Getting out at 100 when the team needed him to bat longer is disappointing.
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Arjun K
KL's technique is so pleasing to watch! That cover drive is pure class. Hope he continues this form in the upcoming series against stronger opponents. Well played! 👏
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Sarah B
As someone who follows cricket from overseas, it's amazing to see KL Rahul's consistency this year. 649 runs at 54 average is world-class. India's batting lineup looks really strong!
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Vikram M
Finally some good news for Indian cricket fans! After all the criticism he faced, KL has answered with his bat. This century must mean so much to him personally. Keep going, champion! 💪
K
Kavya N
The fact that he's the fourth Indian opener to achieve this milestone shows how difficult this achievement is. Gavaskar, Sehwag, Vijay and now Rahul - what a legacy of Indian openers!

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