KL Rahul brought his second hundred of the year and the first against South Africa in the final session on the first day of the first test at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday.
KL Rahul hit 13 fours and a six before putting up his 7th Test hundred (AP Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- KL Rahul scored his second hundred of the year and the first against South Africa in Tests
- Rahul is the second Indian opening player to score a Test hundred in South Africa after Wasim Jaffer (116 in 2007).
- Rahul now has overseas test bins in Australia (1), England (2), South Africa (1), Sri Lanka (1), West Indies (1)
KL Rahul hit his seventh Test hundred in the series opener against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday to end a 14-year wait for India as he was only the second opener to hit three-digit numbers in red ball cricket the rainbow nation.
Rahul, who averaged 7.50 in four innings in South Africa three years ago, brought his second hundred of the year and first against the Proteas in the final session on the first day of the first Test to join Wasim Jaffer in elite company . He reached the milestone in 218 balls with 14 fours and a six.
Jaffer became the first Indian opener to score a Test hundred in South Africa and scored 116 in the third Test at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town in January 2007. Murali Vijay (97), Gautam Gambhir (93) and Rahul (90 not out) came close behind Jaffer, but could not reach the landmark.
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Rahul stayed 10 runs too short to achieve the feat on his last tour in 2018, but eventually managed to cross the finish line on the second attempt after entering the nervous 90s. India hit 237 for 3 in their first innings when Rahul hit their 100, with Lungi Ngidi taking all 3 wickets for the hosts.
Rahul, who was named vice-captain for this series after the injured Rohit Sharma was expelled, now has hundreds of overseas tests in Australia (1), England (2), South Africa (1), Sri Lanka (1) and the West India (1).
He’s also only the third opener to hit Test away for centuries in Australia, England and South Africa after Pakistan’s Saeeed Anwar and West Indian legend Chris Gayle.
KL Rahul was involved in a record partnership of 117 races for the first wicket with Mayank Agarwal, 60, after Virat Kohli won the throw and decided to hit first.
After Jaffer-Dinesh Karthik (153 in the Cape Town Test, 2007) and Gambhir-Virender Sehwag (137 in the Centurion Test, 2010), the pair was only the third Indian opening combination that was over 100 years old in a Test inning in South Africa Partnership entered into).
Rahul and Mayank are also the fifth Indian couple to enter into an inaugural partnership for India for over 50 years during testing in South Africa. The 137-person stand of Sehwag and Gambhir in 2010.
They also joined an elite list by becoming only the second overseas couple, after Chris Gayle and Darren Ganga in 2007-08, to put up an over 50 opening stand on a test in South Africa.
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