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Six of his eight career Test centuries have come against the SENA countries, which simply goes to suggest that Lokesh Rahul, also known as KL Rahul is a class act. A handy, technically compact cricketer whose game is based on the principles of patience and endurance, KL Rahul's batting gives shade and comfort to India during periods of intense tension and anxiety.
He is the ice to the fire the opposition confounds Team India with and KL Rahul's calm headed and resolute ways of batting have given much hope to the Indian cricket team about a safe future where the flow of runs is steady, if not always, fluent.
Now, that is something KL Rahul, 8 Test hundreds, 17 fifties from 101 innings in the longest format already, will hope for as the next major Test assignment arrives in the form of India tour of England.
Having said that, which are some of his top-most batting efforts when it comes to the batting against SENA countries?
KL Rahul's 123 vs South Africa
South Africa are actually the country against whom KL Rahul has scored the second-most number of Test centuries that he's hit in the entirety of his career so far.
Thus far, he's scored 8 Test hundreds, in all. From these, 2 have come against the Proteas and a high class century came back in the year 2021 at the SuperSport Park.
The 123, now nearly, half a decade back in time, was a testimony to KL Rahul's patience. Opening the innings alongside Mayank Agarwal, who was a common fixture in those days for Team India, Rahul hung in for a good 260 deliveries and cracked his first-ever century against and in South Africa.
It was a contest where Pujara fell for a first-ball-duck and where the likes of Kohli didn't score too many.
But back then, facing a potent trinity of great South African bowling Ngidi, Rabada and Jansen, the latter, a newcomer in those days, KL Rahul's century was indication of his ability to excel on difficult pitches and away from familiarity of home conditions. His ton paved the way for a memorable win for Team India.
The indomitable 199 vs England
The 199 that was scored against the English side and came at the MA Chidambaram Stadium still happens to be the wonderful batter's highest individual Test match score. And he's played over 50 Test matches as on date.
Having said that, there was an element of agony as well as ecstasy about KL Rahul's 199 hit in 2016 versus England. While on the one hand, he hit a daddy hundred, what was somewhere sad about this century was the very fact that he came dangerously close to maiden Test double hundred and yet, couldn't get it.
In all these years of playing Test match cricket, Rahul hasn't got one. Is that surprising?
Anyhow, nine years back in the day, the determined batter stayed at the wicket for 311 deliveries, scoring a mega century from the very top of the order for his India.
But in so doing, he made a fine knock against the likes of Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid. The knock, however, was sort of overshadowed by the magnificent triple century that was made by Karun Nair.
Interestingly, this time around, both KL Rahul and Karun Nair will once again be playing against a familiar foe called England, however, it's one versus whom they've made quite a few runs in their Test career.
The first-ever Test ton vs Australia
It's always incredible when one scores a century against Australia, and even better, when it comes in Australia.
This was precisely the case when back in the year 2015, with KL still quite new to Test match format, that he hit a magnificent century versus the Aussies.
And what could have been more brilliant than KL Rahul stroking one at the famed Sydney Cricket Ground? The calm, collected and watchful 110 was indication of India having found a Test match specialist who put focus on the frontfoot in playing red ball cricket, typically a Rahul Dravid-esque trait.
But back then, a decade back in the day, what was more exemplary about KL Rahul's maiden Test hundred was the fact that it took him just 2 Test matches to score a three-figure-milestone.
Did you notice that?
Yet to score a ton vs New Zealand
Truth be told, what's rather surprising about someone like KL Rahul, ever a dogged and technically sound batter, especially against the SENA nations, is that he hasn't scored a century yet versus the BlackCaps in Test match cricket.
As a matter of fact, his highest ever Test individual score against the BlackCaps in red ball cricket is 38. But then, KL Rahul has only played 2 Tests versus New Zealand thus far in his career and it could be said that a really handy knock, hopefully a three-figure-mark is going to happen at some point.
