ENG Vs IND: KL Rahul's Gritty Century In Headingley Test Defies His Red-Ball Numbers And Average

Team India batter KL Rahul stepped up for the side with a resolute and gritty knock on Day 4 of the ongoing first Test of the five-match series against England at Headingley in Leeds on Monday, June 23.

KL Rahul, India's senior-most batter after Test retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, anchored the innings with a composed century and steadied India's batting through a crucial partnership with Rishabh Pant after Shubman Gill's dismissal early in the morning session of the penultimate day of the Test series opener. In the first innings, the 33-year-old was visibly disappointed with a wrong shot selection for off-stump delivery by Brydon Carse.

In the second innings, Rahul played with renewed focus and discipline, while restraining himself from moving balls and leveraging scoring opportunities to craft a well-placed century that put India ahead of the contest after the visitors received a slender 6-run first innings lead after bundling out England for 465.

Statement knock in testing conditions

KL Rahul delivered when he was needed the most by Team India after the visitors lost Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan in a single day before losing skipper Shubman Gill early on Day 4, leaving India in a tricky position. Rahul rose to the occasion with a statement knock, absorbing pressure and countering the English pace attack with more maturity and control to guide Team India to a commanding position in the second innings.

Interestingly, KL Rahul received a lifeline after Harry Brook dropped his catch at gully off Josh Tongue's delivery in the 38th over and he made the most out of it by converting the blunder by the visitors into a match-defining century that could shift the momentum firmly in India's favour going into the final day of the Headingley Test.

Rahul kept going despite the pressure of the 90s and was batting on 98 when he got forward and drove wide of the sweeper off Shoaib Bashir's full off-stump delivery for two runs to complete his well-deserved century. The 31-year-old acknowledged the applause from the crowd and the dressing room where his teammates stood up to applaud his grit, patience and timely contribution.

KL Rahul crafts a classy ton in testing conditions 💪 #SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia twitter/b5TpQnjqgj

- Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 23, 2025

The Headingley Test century is KL Rahul's third century on English soil. His first Test century in England came in 2018, when he played a brilliant innings of 149 off 224 balls in the first Test at The Oval. The veteran Indian batter's second ton came at Lord's in 2021, a gritty 129 that helped India secure a memorable win.

KL Rahul's third Test century against England in England has added another valuable addition to his growing legacy as one of the dependable overseas performers for Team India.

KL Rahul's century cannot be measured by numbers and averages

The veteran Indian batter has often been described as inconsistent in the longest format, with critics and experts pointing to his fluctuating average and inability to convert his starts. Since 2024, before the first Test of the England series at Headingley, Rahul has amassed 510 runs, including 4 fifties, at an average of 31.87.

In his last 10 innings, KL Rahul has scored just two fifties. He had a moderate outing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, amassing 276 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 30.66 in 10 innings. His inconsistency over the last one year has raised questions about his form, given that Rahul has shouldered a bigger responsibility as the senior-most batter in a relatively young line-up, especially in overseas conditions like England, where temperament and experience matter.

However, KL Rahul's century in the second innings of the Headingley Test has defied the narrative built around his inconsistency, proving that class, composure, and temperament in pressure situations cannot be captured by averages and recent stats. His overall batting average in Tests might be below 40, but the innings at Headingley remind the cricketing world that some knocks transcend numbers.

Look at KL Rahul's control percentage 🤌 twitter/JXxmtGzpgF

- ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 23, 2025

KL Rahul has been the batter who delivered when it mattered the most, and that can be evidenced by his overseas performances in Australia, the West Indies, England, and South Africa, where his centuries have come in tough batting conditions and against a high-quality pace bowling attack.

In the ongoing Test series, KL Rahul was promoted to the top order of the batting line-up after playing in the middle order for two years to fill the void left by Rohit Sharma. The absence of Rohit Sharma necessitated the need of experience at the top and KL Rahul

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