Another batsman from the Indian School of pleasant stroke-making, KL Rahul centuries is a sight to behold when on the song. His sumptuous shot-making has often made people expect more from the Karnataka batsman.
As a result, his slump in form in 2018 was nearly unimaginative for a batsman who was technically correct with nearly all aspects of his game. The start of his international career was not characterized by flamboyance and elegance. However, it was later when he began to find his feet, especially in the white-ball game, that KL Rahul centuries became common.
Contents
Test debut in Australia
Rahul made his India debut against Australia in the Boxing Day Test in 2014-15. It wasn't a memorable outing for him as perished in single digits in both innings of the Test match. However, in his second Test in Sydney, Rahul scored his maiden Test century after being asked to open the batting. It was an innings of great composure, skills, and patience that told the world a thing or two about the future Indian sensation. He shone when he opened the innings for the first time and now he opens in all three formats.
A dream run in 2016
KL Rahul witnessed a stellar run of form in 2016 where he scored centuries in all three formats of the game. He became the first Indian player to score a century on ODI debut with an unbeaten 100* against Zimbabwe and is the only Indian to achieve the feat thus far. Carrying on his rich vein of form, the right-hander even smashed a century in a T20I against West Indies to become only the third Indian player to register centuries across all formats. In December 2016, Rahul registered his highest individual score of 199 in Test cricket against England in Chennai.
KL Rahul’s form in 2023: Round-up
2023 has been a mixed year for Rahul. The numbers he produced in international cricket this year do not reflect his talent. He did not have the greatest start to the season, and was stripped off vice-captaincy following a poor Test series against Australia. He was dropped from the last Test, as his woes in the format continued.
During the IPL, he was left injured, leaving his participation in the World Cup in doubt. Rahul suffered a thigh injury while fielding, and had to undergo surgery. He was away from cricket till September, but marked a successful comeback during the Asia Cup, making a match-winning hundred against Pakistan.
ODIs | ||||||
Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s |
13 | 12 | 531 | 66.37 | 86.90 | 1 | 4 |
In the white ball format of the game, KL managed to score 531 runs in 12 outings with four critical fifties and one hundred against Pakistan. The ODI format continues to be his best format, and he has become indispensable for India at No.5. He is also the designated wicketkeeper for India in 50-over cricket.
Rahul has not played a single T20I for India this year, with the Indian team reportedly moving on from the Karnataka player, along with other senior players, ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup. This decision has been made following a poor run in last year's T20 World Cup, where his strike rate was under repeated scanner.
Test Matches | ||||||
Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s |
2 | 3 | 38 | 12.66 | 33.04 | 0 | 0 |
Rahul has only played two Tests this year, before he was dropped midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in March. He managed a high score of 20 in three innings this year, with Shubman Gill replacing him.
IPL | ||||||
Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s |
9 | 9 | 274 | 34.25 | 113.22 | 0 | 2 |
Rahul also had a poor IPL, striking at 113.22 – his worst since 2015. He also averaged his worst in the tournament in eight seasons and was ruled out after a thigh injury.
Here's a look at the list of KL Rahul centuries in each format:
List of KL Rahul centuries in Test cricket:
Rahul's Test career has been a ride full of twists and turns. With a ton in his second Test itself, Rahul was well on course to carve out an exciting future in his Test career. However, a lean patch in 2018 saw him lose his Test spot with the Indian team.
He made a comeback to earn his place back in the Test squad and even registered his sixth Test century in the 2nd Test at Lord's against England. He then scored another against South Africa at the end of the year to become only the third Indian to score a century at Centurian alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
However, in 2022 Rahul’s form in Test cricket was concerning. Rahul’s last Test century came in the year 2021 against South Africa in Centurian. This year Rahul faced a drought and could not score a single century in the Test format.
S.NO | Date | Score | Opposition | Venue | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Jan 6, 2015 | 110 | Australia | Sydney | Draw |
2. | Aug 20, 2015 | 108 | Sri Lanka | Colombo (PSS) | Won |
3. | Jul 30, 2016 | 158 | West Indies | Jamaica | Draw |
4. | Dec 16, 2016 | 199 | England | Chennai | Won |
5. | Sep 7, 2018 | 149 | England | Oval | Lost |
6. | Aug 12, 2021 | 127* | England | Lord's | Won |
7. | Dec 26, 2021 | 123 | South Africa | Centurian | Won |
List of KL Rahul centuries in ODI cricket:
The 30-year-old has had a mixed-bag ODI career for India so far. With six ODI centuries in his ODI career, Rahul ranks among one of the best openers among contemporary players. He scored his maiden ODI hundred on his debut against Zimbabwe in 2016. Rahul even opened the innings alongside Rohit Sharma in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. He has since moved down the order, to No.5, and has become a middle-order mainstay.
S.NO | Date | Score | Opposition | Venue | Result |
1 | Jun 11, 2016 | 100* | Zimbabwe | Harare | Won |
2 | Jul 6, 2019 | 111 | Sri Lanka | Leeds | Won |
3 | Dec 18, 2019 | 102 | West Indies | Vizag | Won |
4 | Feb 11, 2020 | 112 | New Zealand | Mount Maunganui | Lost |
5 | Mar 26, 2021 | 108 | England | Pune | Lost |
6 | Sept 10, 2023 | 111* | Pakistan | Colombo | Won |
List of KL Rahul centuries in T20Is:
Rahul debuted for India in the T20s against Zimbabwe in 2016. Rahul went on quickly to score his maiden T20I century against West Indies at Lauderhill in Florida in the same year. However, his rollicking efforts didn't prove enough for India as they lost by 1 run. His more memorable T20I century came against England in Manchester in 2018 where he rampaged his way to the three-figure mark.
S.NO | Date | Score | Opposition | Venue | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Aug 27, 2016 | 110* | West Indies | Lauderhill | Lost |
2. | Jul 3, 2018 | 101* | England | Manchester | Won |
List of KL Rahul centuries in IPL
The current captain of the newly added franchise Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, Rahul scored his maiden IPL century against Mumbai Indians in 2019. Albeit in a losing cause, it rained boundaries at Wankhede as Rahul crossed the three-figure mark for the first time in his IPL career. In IPL 2020, while leading the Punjab franchise, Rahul played a match-winning innings to hurt RCB with an unbeaten 132* run knock in Dubai. Rahul haunted Mumbai Indians in the 2022 IPL when he scored two centuries in two games against men in blue and gold. Mumbai Indians have been on the wrong side of an onslaught from KL Rahul on three occasions. Rahul was a major factor in helping Lucknow reach the IPL qualifiers in their debut season.
S.NO | Date | Score | Opposition | Venue | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Apr 10, 2019 | 100* | MI | Mumbai | Lost |
2. | Sep 26, 2020 | 132* | RCB | Dubai | Won |
3. | April 16, 2022 | 103* | MI | Mumbai | Won |
4. | April 24, 2022 | 103* | MI | Mumbai | Won |