Indian batter KL Rahul has become the second Asian opener to score over 500 runs in a Test series in England, after the legendary Sunil Gavaskar (542 runs in 1979). He is also the second visiting opener in the 21st century to achieve this feat, after Graeme Smith (714 runs in 2003).
Rahul reached this milestone during the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in Manchester. He has scored 508 runs in four matches at an impressive average of 72.57, including two centuries and two fifties.
What a FIGHT! 💪
KL Rahul’s defiance has won our hearts over 😍#WarriorsHumaare#SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings pic.twitter.com/ge6pJIN6tU
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 26, 2025
At the end of Day 4, he remained not out on 87. His unbeaten 174-run partnership with Indian skipper Shubman Gill helped India close Day 4 at 174/2, trailing England by 137 runs. England failed to take a single wicket in the final two sessions of the day.
This was notably the first time in the series that a batting pair had batted through two complete sessions in a single innings. Rahul also crossed the landmark of 9000 international runs across all formats.
In the ongoing fourth Test, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill’s stellar partnership proved to be crucial. India added 126 runs in the final session, ending the day strongly with Rahul unbeaten on 87 and Gill on 78.
India began the third session at 86/2, with Gill looking in fine touch. He brought up his eighth Test half-century his fourth against England off 77 balls, including eight classy boundaries. He was on 52 off 80 balls when Rahul, providing solid support, was batting on 30 with two boundaries.
In the 40th over, the duo completed a 100-run stand for the third wicket. Rahul followed it up with his second fifty of the series, getting there with a single off Liam Dawson in the 43rd over.
Brief Scores:
India 358 & 174/2 (KL Rahul 87, Shubman Gill 78*; Chris Woakes 2/48)*
vs
England 669 (Joe Root 150, Ben Stokes 141, Ravindra Jadeja 4/143)
(With inputs from ANI)
ALSO READ: Shubman Gill Breaks Records, Sets New Benchmark for Asian Batters in England
