KL Rahul starts England tour with scintillating century vs Lions, big relief for India ahead of five-match Test series

After the Indian Premier League wrapped up, KL Rahul made his way to the India camp in England, gearing up for the second 4-day unofficial Test in Northampton. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli stepping away from the format in May, Rahul now stands as the most seasoned player in the squad, having been in the game for nearly a decade—definitely a weighty responsibility on his shoulders.

Following some solid performances at the top of the order during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rahul is expected to open the batting for India alongside Jaiswal. On Day 1 of the 2nd Unofficial Test, after England Lions opted to bowl first, KL Rahul took the crease with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who unfortunately fell early for 17 runs off 26 balls, thanks to Chris Woakes.

Another wicket fell quickly as Abhimanyu Easwaran succumbed to Woakes as well. Rahul steadied the ship alongside his old mate, Karun Nair, who had a stellar double century in the unofficial Test at Canterbury.

The 33-year-old appeared calm and collected throughout the day, forming an 86-run partnership with Nair, who was dismissed for 40 runs off 71 balls.

Rahul looked at ease at the crease, heading into the dressing room unbeaten on 92 at Tea, and he returned to complete his century shortly after the break. It took him 151 balls to reach that milestone, which is certainly a boost for India as they look ahead to the series.

Before the stumps on Day 1, Rahul was dismissed by George Hill, caught by Emilio Gay after scoring 116 runs off 168 balls, including 15 fours and a six.

His opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal, had another tough outing, but given his talent, the young player is expected to bounce back. Meanwhile, both Karun and Jurel have displayed impressive skills, making either a solid option to step into the middle order in place of Kohli. Newly appointed captain Shubman Gill, along with Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja, can round out the rest of the middle order.

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