KL Rahul’s stoic second-innings century not only stubbed England’s early attempts at derailing India on day four of the Leeds Test on Monday, but it was also a gruelling record-breaking knock that impressed the opener with the assurance of having a stable position in the team.
After missing out on a fifty in the first innings, Rahul’s knock came under immense pressure after India lost captain Shubman Gill early in the day to Brydon Carse. However, with a 195-run stand for the fourth wicket alongside wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant, Rahul thwarted Ben Stokes and Co. for a major part of the day’s play and ensured India offered a stiffening 371-run target for the hosts shortly before stumps.
Despite the plaudits for his compact technique, Rahul’s Test average continues to linger in the mid-30s in a stop-start career that has spanned a decade. After becoming the first Asian opener to record three Test tons in England, Rahul opened up on having occasionally lost the plot in recent years when he has played across the board as a middle-order batter and a makeshift opener. However, following former India skipper Rohit Sharma’s Test retirement, Rahul has seized the opportunity in the opening match of the new World Test Championship cycle.
“The last couple of years I’ve forgotten what my position is and what I’m comfortable doing. I’m happy to be given different responsibilities and different roles. Makes the game exciting and makes me want to challenge myself and train that much harder and work on my game a little bit more. So I’ve quite enjoyed doing that,” Rahul told reporters after scoring 137 off 247 deliveries.
KL Rahul crafts a classy ton in testing conditions 💪 #SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/b5TpQnjqgj
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 23, 2025
“And the last couple of series, my role has been to open the batting, and I’ve enjoyed doing that as well. Yeah, I mean that’s something that I did growing up and all my early years as a cricketer was me opening the batting. So yeah, I’m happy that I’m back doing that, and I’m happy that I’m doing the job for the team.”
Though his middling career record leaves him glum, Rahul said he is not chasing records at this stage in his career.
“Of course, it hurts when I look at my average. But at this stage, I don’t want to think about numbers. I want to make an impact whenever I get a chance and enjoy playing Test cricket for India. It’s what I grew up loving,” Rahul said.
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‘Challenge of proving yourself all the time’
During the IPL 2025 season, Rahul had similarly weighed on the challenge to keep proving himself all the time across formats. Employing a middle-order wicket-keeper role in the ODI set-up, Rahul was instrumental in India’s Champions Trophy win in Dubai earlier this year.
“I don’t mind proving myself all the time. That’s how any sport is – to always perform in every tournament. That’s the case with international cricketers anywhere in the world. But that’s not the hard part – it’s the people who make the decisions who seem to forget what the player has done in the recent tournament. It has been the challenge for me,” Rahul had told former England captain Nasser Hussain said in a Sky Sports interview.
Watching him bat this innings is like watching the MCC coaching manual in action. Top top knock from a high class batter. Well played @klrahul 👏🏻 #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/Tjy4sImfSd
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) June 23, 2025
‘Total team man’
Post the assured start he offered to India’s second innings on Sunday, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar had hailed Rahul’s immense talent and foolproof batting technique.
“Total team man. He has even been asked to keep wickets. He does that for the team, and that’s what you want in the team. You see the way he reacts to the situation. He’s got an equanimity about him, which is so rare because in today’s day and age where everybody’s got to be doing things to show that they have achieved something, his celebrations are also muted. One thing everybody agrees about KL Rahul is that he doesn’t know how good a player he is. I mean, he would agree,” remarked Gavaskar.
“He’s got so much talent. Look at all the shots on the offside, leg-side, the flick, everything. All the shots, but he hasn’t lived up to that. Now, that could be a bit of self-doubt in his mind or whatever that sometimes keeps the Bangalore boys from fulfilling their potential,” added Gavaskar.
