Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], October 3 : Indian star opener KL Rahul, following his century against the West Indies at Ahmedabad, mentioned that playing in different conditions, particularly in England, has been beneficial for his confidence.
His best Test series outing also came this year against England in the UK, ending the five-match series as the third-highest run-getter with 532 runs in 10 innings at an average of 53.20, with two centuries and two fifties.
Rahul also shared that his celebration after reaching three figures was for his daughter. KL brought his first home century since 2016 and only his second at home during the WI Test at Ahmedabad, grinding out a masterclass of 100 in 197 balls, with 12 fours.
"Really enjoyed my batting. Playing in different conditions. England was fun. Obviously, getting runs there gives you a lot of confidence, and coming into this game with some runs behind me also helped. Feeling fresher after a longish break after the series. Yeah, I really enjoyed being back. (Were you nervous?) No, not really. Because I just played a game last week (for India A). So yeah, I was a bit nervous playing there because I haven't been on the field for a good 5-6 weeks. So just to get back into that rhythm, just to get back into getting runs and spending time in the field and coming in day after day for 4-5 days is a bit of a challenge physically as well," KL Rahul said after stumps on Day 2.
"The conditions here have been really, really challenging physically. The game that I played last week was even worse. So yeah, physically it's been really challenging. But yeah, it's good to be out in the middle, and it was good for me to have that game and get some miles in me. (About the celebration) It was for my daughter," he added.
This hundred also earned him a place in the elite company of Indian openers with 10 or more Test centuries. After a blockbuster tour to England as a 'wiseman' guiding the youth in the absence of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin, KL looks to take the home season by storm in what has been his strongest Test year so far.
Now, KL joins Sunil Gavaskar (33 centuries), Virender Sehwag (22 centuries) and Murali Vijay (12 centuries) as the fourth member of the 10-plus century club as a Test opener for India. Gambhir and Rohit have managed nine centuries as Test openers for India, as per Wisden.
He had last managed a century at home soil against England in December 2016 at Chennai, scoring 199. This is the fourth-longest an Indian has had to wait between two centuries at home, with Ravichandran Ashwin's wait at 36 innings being the longest. 3211 days gap between the first and second Test hundred at home for KL Rahul - it is the longest such gap for an Indian batter between two centuries at home.
This year officially marks KL at his best in Tests, with 649 runs in seven matches and 13 innings at an average of 54.08, with three centuries and two fifties and a best score of 137.