England Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Match Scorecard: Star Indian opener KL Rahul scored his 10th Test century on Day 3 of the third match against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Lord’s on Saturday. The 33-year-old continued his excellent form by registering his fourth hundred on English soil and second at the iconic venue. Rahul reached the milestone in 177 deliveries with 13 boundaries.
India resumed the day at 145 for 3 with Rahul unbeaten on 53. Rahul shared a crucial 141-run stand with vice-captain Rishabh Pant to help India recover after an early setback. India had lost Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill early. Rahul had earlier put on 61 runs with Karun Nair before stabilising the innings with Pant. The pair kept England’s bowlers at bay as Rahul played with patience and control. Pant was eventually run out for 74 just before lunch but the partnership had already lifted India to a strong position.
Rahul reached the landmark with a single to cover off Jofra Archer just after the lunch break. He brought up his hundred with 13 boundaries but was dismissed in the very next over. He was caught at slip by Harry Brook off Shoaib Bashir, who bowled a well flighted delivery outside off. Rahul attempted a drive through the covers but edged it to first slip.
Rahul had already made history in the series opener at Headingley by becoming the first Indian opener to score three Test centuries in England. With his latest ton at Lord’s, that number has now increased to four. KL Rahul has played 12 Tests in England and scored over 940 runs at an average above 41. More than 900 of those runs have come as an opener. Rahul has been consistent throughout the series. He scored 42 and 137 in the first Test followed by 2 and 55 at Edgbaston in the second match. He has provided India with stability at the top of the order in difficult English conditions.
Rahul has now become the second Indian batter after Dilip Vengsarkar to score multiple centuries at Lord’s. He is also only the fourth visiting opener to score more than one Test hundred at the venue. He joins Bill Brown of Australia, Gordon Greenidge of the West Indies and Graeme Smith of South Africa who have also scored two hundreds each at the ground.
Rahul’s latest century also placed him in elite company. He moved past Virender Sehwag to become the second-highest run-scoring Indian opener in SENA countries. Only Sunil Gavaskar has more runs in those conditions among Indian openers.
