After a lengthy wait, KL Rahul finally ended his home Test hundred drought. At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, the elegant opener accomplished the feat before lunch on the second day of the first Test match against the West Indies.
Rahul got to the century by hitting a full delivery from Roston Chase past mid-wicket for a single after starting the day with an overnight score of 53.
This is the Indian opener’s eleventh century in Test cricket, and only his second at home; the first came in December 2016 against England at Chepauk.
Rahul celebrated the hundred by raising his bat during the single. When he reached the other end, he removed his helmet, kissed the badge, and then, with the bat still high in his right hand, he whistled with his left hand.
Interestingly, the only other player in India’s current starting lineup who has made his Test debut at the time Rahul last scored a century at home is Ravindra Jadeja.
Rahul joins Vijay Manjrekar, Polly Umrigar, Kapil Dev, and Ajinkya Rahane as the only Indian batsmen to have taken 26 innings between two Test hundreds at home.
Throughout his career, Rahul has moved up and down the order, but it appears that he has officially claimed the opening spot.
Rahul scored 532 runs from 5 Tests at an average of 53.20 with two hundreds during India’s tour of England earlier this year, ranking third in the series in terms of runs scored.
