Indian opener KL Rahul is on the brink of etching his name alongside the greats of Indian cricket as he heads into the final Test against England at The Oval, with a series of individual milestones within touching distance.
Rahul, who has emerged as a steady presence at the top of the order in a largely youthful Indian squad, needs just 32 runs to surpass Sunil Gavaskar’s long-standing record for most runs by an Indian opener in a single SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) series. Gavaskar had scored 542 runs in just four matches and seven innings during the 1979 England tour.
So far in the current five-Test series, KL has amassed 511 runs in eight innings at an impressive average of 63.87. His tally includes two centuries and two fifties, with a top score of 137. In the previous Test at Old Trafford, he contributed crucial scores of 46 and 90, helping India escape with a draw.
A 32-run outing at The Oval would not only see KL eclipse Gavaskar’s mark but also put him in elite company in terms of consistency. He has recorded at least one fifty-plus score in each match of the series — a feat achieved previously only by Gavaskar (in 1979) and Murali Vijay (against Australia in 2014) for India in SENA countries. Both had five fifty-plus scores each, but KL’s superior conversion rate – two of them being centuries – already gives him an edge.
The Oval also holds personal significance for Rahul. In 2018, he struck a valiant 149 at the same venue in the fourth innings while chasing an improbable 464, stitching together a memorable partnership with Rishabh Pant. Although India lost that match by 118 runs, KL’s innings remains one of his finest overseas efforts.
A century in the upcoming Test would make Rahul the first Indian opener to score three Test tons in England. Currently, he has 1,108 runs in 12 Tests (24 innings) on English soil at an average of 46.16, including four centuries and three fifties. He is just 45 runs away from surpassing Gavaskar’s tally of 1,152 runs as an opener in England — a record that has stood for decades.
Beyond this tour, KL’s overall record in England stands out. He has scored 1,125 runs across 26 innings at an average of 43.26. If he brings up another century, it would be his fifth in England and his seventh in SENA countries, drawing him closer to Gavaskar’s eight SENA tons as an opener — the most by any Indian.
As India aim to wrap up the series on a high, all eyes will be on Rahul, whose resurgence has not just steadied the Indian top order but has also reignited conversations around his place in cricketing folklore.
Will The Oval witness another chapter in KL Rahul’s second wind?
