Revisiting KL Rahul's incredible Test ton at Lord's (2021)
What's the story
KL Rahul has emerged as one of the most versatile batters in Test cricket. His incredible record in England conditions speaks volumes about his stature. Notably, Rahul scored a terrific century the last time India played a Test at Lord's. It resulted in India's third-ever Test win at the Home of Cricket. Have a look at his record-breaking innings.
Knock
Rahul slammed a 250-ball 129
Rahul laid the foundation for India's historic Test win at Lord's in 2021. He scored a masterful 250-ball 129, powering India to 364 in the first innings. His knock had 12 fours and a six. Notably, Rahul added a 126-run opening stand with Rohit Sharma after England invited India to bat under difficult conditions. The former batted for nearly 400 minutes.
Record
One of 10 Indians with a Test ton at Lord's
Rahul became only the 10th Indian to smash a hundred at Lord's in the longest format. He joined the likes of Vinoo Mankad (1952), Dilip Vengsarkar (1979, 1982, 1986), Gundappa Viswanath (1979), Ravi Shastri (1990), Mohammad Azharuddin (1990), Sourav Ganguly (1996), Ajit Agarkar (2002), Rahul Dravid (2011), and Ajinkya Rahane (2014) on this elite list.
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Rahul joined these legends
Rahul also became the fifth Indian opener with multiple Test tons in England. Others on the list are Dravid, Gavaskar, Vijay Merchant, and Shastri (two each). Earlier in the ongoing series, Rahul went past these legends with his third such ton.
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Record stand for India
As mentioned, Rahul and Rohit added 126 runs for the first wicket. This was the first century stand by Indian openers outside Asia in Tests since the start of 2011. The last Indian pair to do so was Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir (in 2010).
Match
How the match panned out
England responded well to India's first-innings total, scoring 391. Joe Root scored 180* while Mohammed Siraj took four wickets. Conceding a slender lead, India were down 194/7 in the second innings. However, Mohammed Shami (56*) and Jasprit Bumrah (34*) stretched their score to 298/8d. Chasing 272, England perished for 120 on Day 5. Virat Kohli's aggressive captaincy and a four-fer from Siraj stood out.