KL Rahul destroys Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir’s legacy with first Test ton in India after 3,211 days

Indian opener KL Rahul continued his sensational run with a brilliant 11th Test century against the West Indies in the ongoing first Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday (October 3). Resuming from 53 overnight, KL Rahul reached his hundred in just 190 balls.

The Karnataka batter’s century helped India race past 200 in response to the West Indies’ first-innings total of 162 before the tea break in Ahmedabad.

KL Rahul breaks Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir's record with Ahmedabad Test ton

With this innings, Rahul now has 10 Test centuries as an opener for India, overtaking former captain Rohit Sharma and current India head coach Gautam Gambhir, who both have nine hundreds at the top of the order.

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Only Indian legends like Sunil Gavaskar (33), Virender Sehwag (22), and Murali Vijay (12) have scored more hundreds than Rahul as Indian Test openers. The right-handed batter has achieved this feat in 94 innings in the traditional format of the game.

Players with the most Test hundreds as India openers:

33 – Sunil Gavaskar (203 innings)

22 – Virender Sehwag (168 innings)

12 – Murali Vijay (100 innings)

10* – KL Rahul (94 innings)

9 – Gautam Gambhir (101 innings)

9 – Rohit Sharma (66 innings)

Meanwhile, KL Rahul has set a new record for the longest gap between two home Test centuries by an Indian player. The Indian star has waited 3,211 days between his first and second hundred at home, surpassing Ravichandran Ashwin’s previous record of 2,655 days between 2013 and 2021.

It was his second Test ton on home soil. Rahul’s previous hundred at home came in December 2016 against England, when he cracked his career-best score of 199 in Chennai.

KL Rahul joins the elite list of Indian batters waiting over 25 innings for home Test hundreds

However, Ravichandran Ashwin still holds the top spot in this list of the longest gaps between two Test hundreds scored by an Indian player on home soil. Ashwin had to wait 36 innings between scoring two home Test centuries.

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The next player is the former wicket-keeper Syed Kirmani. Kirmani had a 32-innings gap between two centuries at home.

Another notable name is Chandu Borde, who waited 27 innings to score his next home Test hundred. Rahul joined the long list of players who had to wait 26 innings between two centuries at home, including Vijay Manjrekar, Polly Umrigar, Kapil Dev, and Ajinkya Rahane.

KL Rahul back in top form, kicks off home season in style

The 33-year-old has begun the home season in sensational form. Last week, Rahul smashed his first first-class century in India since 2016, scoring an unbeaten 176 while chasing a massive 412 against Australia A at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. His innings not only helped India A complete a thrilling chase but also reminded fans of his class and temperament.

After years of ups and downs in Test cricket, Rahul has finally settled into the crucial opening spot following Rohit Sharma’s retirement. His recent run of form has been exceptional, building on his stellar performances during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

He carried that momentum into the England tour during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, where he enjoyed the best series of his career, scoring 532 runs in five tests with two centuries and two fifties to his name.