India wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul is a classic case of someone not fulfilling his potential even nine years after first playing for the country. If truth be told, Rahul should be spared of any form of criticism on a day he scored his 17th international century under testing circumstances. However, a basic glance on his overseas Test record is enough justification for the first line of this piece.
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Currently playing his 32nd Test away from home, Rahul has scored 1,820 runs outside India. While a stunning conversion rate on the back of seven centuries and five half-centuries throws immense light on his talent, an average of 31.92 gives grounds for the might-have-beens had he remained consistent in between those seven three-figure knocks over the years.
Rahul’s supporters aplenty, on the contrary, have all the reasons to not only defend him but also go into raptures about him scoring Test centuries at the Sydney Cricket Ground, P Sara Oval, Sabina Park, The Oval, Lord’s and SuperSport Park. Rahul, who can boast a record of scoring seven out of his eight Test hundreds in overseas conditions, became the first visiting batter to score two tons in Centurion Tests.
Centurion’s favorite visitor strikes again! KL Rahul’s sublime 101 against South Africa adds another chapter to his impressive record at this venue. @klrahul #KLAtCenturion #CricketHistory
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) December 27, 2023
Having said that, what shouldn’t be forgotten is that an underwhelming Test average of 40.13 across 16 Tests at home isn’t a convincing numeric either.
Has KL Rahul Scored Most Centuries By An Indian In Overseas Tests?
No, KL Rahul has not scored the most centuries by an Indian in Tests played away from home. In fact, he shares the joint-eighth position with his former head coach Ravi Shastri in this list. Furthermore, Rahul needs three more overseas Test hundreds to enter the Top Five in this regard.
For now, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar (29), India head coach Rahul Dravid (21), Little Master Sunil Gavaskar (18), veteran batter Virat Kohli (15) and former batter Virender Sehwag (10) occupy the top positions in the list of Indian batters with most overseas Test centuries.
As far as Rahul is concerned, more overseas Test tons will see him equal former teammates such as Ajinkya Rahane (8) and Cheteshwar Pujara (9).
