WATCH: KL Rahul’s whistle celebration lights up century in India vs West Indies 1st Test
KL Rahul ended a 3,211-day wait for a home century, celebrating his landmark hundred against West Indies with a whistle and bat raise.
Team India’s opening batter KL Rahul scored a brilliant century on Day 2 of the first Test against the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It was his 11th Test hundred overall and only his second in India, making the occasion very special.
India began the second day at 121/2, with Rahul batting on 53 and captain Shubman Gill on 18. Gill looked solid in the morning session and completed his half-century. However, he was dismissed for 50 runs by Roston Chase. That turned out to be India’s only wicket of the session, while Rahul carried on with confidence and determination.
Rahul reached his hundred in the 65th over of the innings. On the fifth ball, he flicked a delivery from Chase towards mid-wicket and completed the single that brought up his century. The 33-year-old celebrated by whistling, lifting his bat to acknowledge the crowd, and sharing a warm hug with wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. His celebration quickly went viral and drew plenty of attention from fans and teammates alike.
Longest Gap Between Home Centuries for India
Rahul’s century was extra special because of the long wait he had to endure. His previous hundred at home came back in 2016 against England in Chennai. This meant there was a gap of 3,211 days between his two home centuries, the longest ever for an Indian batter. The earlier record belonged to Ravichandran Ashwin, who waited 2,655 days between two home hundreds from 2013 to 2021.
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Rahul also played 26 innings between his two home centuries. This is the third-highest for an Indian player, behind Ashwin (36 innings) and Syed Kirmani (32 innings). Other famous Indian names with such long waits include Chandu Borde, Vijay Manjrekar, Polly Umrigar, Kapil Dev, and Ajinkya Rahane. Rahul’s determined innings showed his class and patience, giving India a strong position in the match.
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