MCG to Lord's: List of KL Rahul's illustrious Test centuries

One of the most charismatic players to have wielded the cricket bat, KL Rahul, made his debut in the Indian Test team during the 2014 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the MCG in Melbourne. Since then, he has been on and off the team before solidifying his spot with incredible overseas performances during the late 2020s. Known for his calm and composed on-field demeanour coupled with a copybook style batting technique, Rahul has been one of India's prominent run-getters in overseas Tests. Out of his ten Test centuries, nine have come outside home conditions. Among these, seven tons have come from SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia). 

With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's departures from the red-ball format, the Karnataka batter happened to be one of the mainstays of the Indian national team in the format. The experienced batter has batted in almost every position from one to six in Test cricket. Moreover, Rahul's versatility and willingness to contribute are the primary reasons behind his increased recognition. As the wicketkeeper-batter rises to prominence, let us hover through his best -- dealing with KL Rahul's Test centuries. Not only in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar trophy, but India will also be banking on Rahul to deliver in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. On that note, let us relive the Test centuries by KL in his Test career so far;

KL Rahul Test centuries

110 vs Australia

After an underwhelming performance on his debut test during the Boxing Day Test against Australia, Rahul was backed for the New Year's Test in the same series. To everyone's surprise, the youngster went on to notch up 110 runs off 262 balls at the Sydney Cricket Ground. 

Australia batted first and declared for 572 runs before Rahul's century laid the foundation for a 475-run total in India's first innings. He batted for almost five and a half hours, negating the likes of Mitchell Starc, Ryan Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, and Shane Watson. Apart from Rahul's 110, Virat Kohli orchestrated a captain's knock, racking up 147 off 230 balls.  

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108 vs Sri Lanka

Rahul's second Test century came during India's tour to Sri Lanka in August 2015. The right-handed batter gave a terrific start to the Men in Blue despite losing the early couple of wickets in the form of Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma supported the Karnataka star for a good period, as their fifties, alongwith Rahul's century, made way for Wriddhiman Saha's 56, propelling India to 393 runs. 

Although Angelo Mathews scored a ton in Sri Lanka's first innings, it wasn't enough to help the hosts beat the Men in Blue. Due to his second Test century, Rahul was adjudged the player of the match. Ajinkya Rahane's 126 and Murali Vijay's 82 in the second innings were other pivotal numbers that helped India seal the victory in Colombo.

158 vs West Indies

After his second Test ton, 'two' was the constant number that read underneath Rahul's score for three consecutive innings. However, the horrible streak broke during India's tour to the West Indies in 2016. The wicketkeeper-batter smashed 158 off 303 balls in Kingston to notch up his third Test ton. 

Electing to bat first after winning the toss turned out to be a horrid decision for the Men in Maroon as they felt the heat from the Indian pacers and Ravichandran Ashwin, with the latter claiming a fifer. West Indies could gather only 196 runs in the first innings and conceded 500 in the second innings. Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane were among the centurions for the visitors.

The stylish Karnataka batter showcased his elegance against the Caribbean bowlers in his first tour to the island nation. His 158 off 303 balls was spread along 15 fours and three sixes, while Rahane smacked 108 off 237 balls with 13 fours and three sixes.

199 vs England

One of Rahul's favourite opponents has to be England, as he has scored as many as four centuries against them thus far. The fifth Test between India and England in December 2016 is renowned for many reasons. One of the primary ones was Karun Nair's unbridled 303, after which it took him almost nine years to make a comeback in the Indian setup. In the same match, Rahul missed a double ton by a run.

Batting first, Moeen Ali's 146 and fifties from Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid steered the Three Lions to 477 at the M. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. In reply, Rahul and Parthiv Patel offered a scintillating start with the bat, aggregating a 152-run opening partnership before a flurry of wickets forced Karun into the crease. The Karnataka pair made the most of the good batting conditions, consolidating a 161-run fourth-wicket partnership. Rahul, who previously converted his good start to his fourth Test century, went on to amass 199 runs off 311 balls. A breathtaking innings from the top-order batter was overshadowed by a one-of-a-kind knock from Karun that helped India beat England by an innings and 75 runs.

149 vs England

It took almost two years and 28 innings for Rahul's next Test century. Once again, it was a familiar opposition but a different venue. From scoring a ton against them at home to smashing winning hearts by scoring an overseas century, Rahul came a long way in 2018. 

The elegant batter was almost a regular in the Indian setup by then, and his 144 off 224 balls at the Kennington Oval rubbished the critics, leading to the encounter. 

Batting first, England gathered 332 runs before India could reach only 292 runs in 95 overs, thanks to Ravindra Jadeja's fighting 86 off 155 balls. While third innings centuries from Sir Alaistair Cook and Joe Root steered England to a great position in the game, Rahul's fighting 149 was one of the positives for the Men in Blue. Despite losing out on partners, Rahul was steady against the new ball duo of Stuart Broad and James Anderson. 

Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Hanuma Vihari departed for single-digit scores in the game, but Rishabh Pant's 114 and Rahul's ton kept the contest alive for India. However, the target of 464 runs is too uphill a task for any team to chase down, as England won the fifth Test of the series by 118 runs.

129 vs England

Rahul already had five centuries in the red-ball format under his name before the pandemic. Post-pandemic, his rise started with a mesmerising century against England at the home of cricket. He became one of the rare Indians to have etched his name on the Lord's Cricket Ground honour board. 

Batting first in the second Test of the series, Rohit Sharma and Rahul played out of their skin against the English pacers. The conditions were perfect for the England bowlers, and at times, the Indian batters had to adapt to the conditions and play ugly.

Rahul was brilliant in judging the balls outside the off stump and played to his merit, scoring an eye-catching ton in one of cricket's iconic venues. Although Rohit missed out on a century by 17 runs, Rahul made the most of the start, mustering 129 off 250 balls with twelve fours and a six. His tremendous knock was one of the pivotal reasons behind India's 151-run win at the home of cricket.

123 vs South Africa

Rahul's first century in South Africa came in a winning cause in 2021. Batting first with his close mate, Mayank Agarwal, the Karnataka lads aggregated 117 runs for the opening stand before Cheteshwar Pujara followed suit, Agarwal on consecutive deliveries. Irrrespective of the added pressure, the right-hander showcased intensive technique against some of the best fast bowlers in Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen to rack up 123 runs off 260 balls. 

Scoring a ton in Centurion is considered a massive task as the conditions often demand great technique, temperament, and understanding of the game situation. Rahul's sensational knock was a personification of all of the aforementioned adjectives.

101 vs South Africa

During the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in 2023, KL Rahul notched up yet another century. This was a tad different from his previous ton at the very same venue. It came in a losing cause and batting in a different position. 

Rahul, throughout his cricket career, has been susceptible to adjustments in batting positions across formats. When it came to the red-ball format, the wicketkeeper-batter was asked to don the gloves and bat lower down the order, filling the void of Rishabh Pant, who was absent from the scene due to a grave car accident back then.

The Indian team was in a precarious position in the first of the two-match Test, with the score reading 121/6. Under adverse conditions, Rahul soaked in pressure and counterpunched the opposition with a measured approach. He ticked the scoreboard with calculative risk and batted with the tail to help India get 245 runs in the first innings. Rahul tried to face the maximum number of balls at the fag end of the innings, ending up scoring his eighth century (101) in Test cricket.

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137 vs England

Under a young captain in Shubman Gill, India faced off against the English heat in the first of the five-match series. The recent retirement of mainstays Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli only made it more challenging for a young troop with a few senior pros. One of them happened to be KL Rahul. Having already smashed a couple of Test tons against England, the wicketkeeper-batter continued his assertion at the start of the tour, ensuring his experience comes more than handy for the country.

After Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant struck centuries in the first innings, Rahul smoked a 137-run knock off 247 balls against the likes of Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Ben Stokes, and Shoaib Bashir. 

Despite losing Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan early in the innings, Rahul and Pant glued a 195-run stand for the fourth wicket, making sure India reached 364 runs and had some substance for the bowlers to defend. However, India failed to do the needful as England sealed an epic chase with five wickets in hand.

100 vs England

In the very same, Rahul struck yet another century. Cometh the third test at the historic Lord's, the 33-year-old neutralised Joe Root's magnificent ton with a century of his own. Opening the batting, Jaiswal fell cheaply to Jofra Archer before Rahul kept the scoreboard moving with the assistance of Karun Nair, Gill, and Rishabh Pant. 

From a tricky situation in the contest, Rahul and Pant added 141 runs together for the fourth wicket, with the former notching up an excellent century. He scored 100 off 177 balls with 13 fours under his name. This was Rahul's second Test century at the mecca of cricket as he became one of the rarest players to have racked up a century here twice.

Rahul's hundred was one of the indispensable factors that helped India equal England's tally of 387 runs in their respective first innings. A complete bowling effort from the Indians folded the English side to 192 runs, but the visiting batters faltered in the fourth innings. While Rahul gave a brisk start with the bat, the top and middle order collapsed. Ravindra Jadeja was the lone man fighting it out till the end. India were 112/8 when Nitish Kumar Reddy was dismissed. With the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj at the other end, Jadeja captained India's innings before an unfortunate Mohammed Siraj dismissal left the Men in Blue 22 runs short of what could have been a heist of a chase.   

FAQS:

Q) How many Test centuries did KL Rahul score at Lord's? 

Ans: KL Rahul has smashed as many as two centuries at the Lord's Cricket Ground. Dilip Vengsarkar is the only other Indian to have scored three centuries at the particular venue.

Q) How many Test centuries has KL Rahul scored against England?

Ans: KL Rahul has scored four centuries against England.

Q) How many Test centuries did KL Rahul score in England?

Ans: KL Rahul has scored three centuries in England.