In the Leeds Test, KL Rahul delivered a stellar performance in India’s second innings, hitting a remarkable century. He scored a magnificent 137 runs, contributing significantly to India’s score of 364. This performance set a target of 371 runs for England. This was Rahul’s 9th Test century overall.
Rahul’s innings etched his name in the record books. He now has three Test centuries in England, the most by an Indian opener in the country. This surpasses legendary Indian batsmen such as Sunil Gavaskar, Vijay Merchant, Ravi Shastri, and Rahul Dravid, who each had two Test centuries as openers in England.
Rahul’s performance also established him as the second-highest Indian opener with five Test centuries in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia), following Sunil Gavaskar. He also overtook former Pakistani opener Saeed Anwar, who had four centuries in SENA countries.
Additionally, Rahul has become the fifth-highest Indian century-maker in SENA nations, behind Sachin Tendulkar, who leads with 17 centuries. Rishabh Pant also contributed with his 8th Test century, scoring a free-flowing 118. Rahul and Pant shared a match-winning 195-run partnership, helping India reach 364. By the end of Day 4, England was at 21 without loss, still trailing India by 350 runs.