KL Rahul took 3211 days to register his second Test hundred at home when the India opener reached three figures in 190 balls on the second day of the first Test against West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday. Starting the day on his overnight score of 53, Rahul continued his sublime form throughout the first session to reach his landmark with a single off Roston Chase in the 65th over of the Indian innings.

In the process, Rahul registered an unwanted record for a longest gap by the Indian batter between two hundreds on home soil in Tests. The previous record was held by now-retired Ravichandran Ashwin who took 2655 days between 2013 and 2021.

The last time Rahul scored a hundred at home was against England at Chepauk in 2016. Additionally, Rahul took 26 innings between his two Test hundreds at home, equalling with the likes of Vijay Manjrekar, Polly Umrigar, Kapil Dev and Ajinkya Rahane. Ashwin (36) holds the record for most innings between two Test hundreds at home, followed by Syed Kirmani (32) and Chandu Borde (27).

Rahul was finally dismissed in the first over after lunch, when he was caught by Justin Greaves at short extra-cover off the bowling of Jomel Warrican. He went back for 100 off 197 balls, studded with 12 fours.

KL Rahul receives praise after Test hundred

Rahul recently had an outstanding series in England, emerging as one of India’s top batters during the course of the five-match series, which ended in a 2-2 draw. The right-hander registered his best Test series ever, with 532 runs in 10 innings at an average of 53.20, with two centuries, two fifties and a best score of 137.

Former India international Parthiv Patel and ex-West Indies cricketer Daren Ganga were no short of appreciation for the talented right-hander. “KL Rahul was outstanding today; he carried on his form from the England tour. Before that series, there were concerns about his form, but I thought he took responsibility really well. It’s very important when a team is going through a transition that your senior players step up, and that’s exactly what KL Rahul did in England,” Patel said on JioHotstar

Ganga also stated that Rahul’s clarity on his role in the Indian team and approach to the game has allowed him to excel. “KL Rahul is a classical player. The tempo that he has found as a batter allows him to be at his best, and to me, that comes with clarity about his role in this Indian team and his approach to Test match cricket,” Ganga said.