3 reasons why KL Rahul is India's second best overseas opener of all-time after Sunil Gavaskar

Team India opener KL Rahul has been in imperious form in the ongoing England series despite the side trailing 1-2 after three games. Following the recent Test retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the onus was on Rahul to shoulder the responsibility of leading from the front with the willow.

The 33-year-old has answered the bell with two centuries and a half-century in the six innings of the England series. KL Rahul also joined Dilip Vengsarkar as the only Indian batters to score multiple Test centuries at Lord's in the recently concluded third Test.

Despite his moderate overall Test numbers with an average of only 35.26, the Karnataka batter has made it count away from home with several telling knocks. While the one and only Sunil Gavaskar will likely remain untouched as India's best-ever Test opener, home or away, many have claimed Rahul to be arguably India's second-best opening batter away from home in the red-ball format.

Even if some recency bias might be in operation, there is much truth to those statements, thanks to Rahul's ability to deliver when the going gets tough away from the comforts of home.

On that note, let us look at three key reasons why KL Rahul is India's second-best overseas opener of all time, behind only Sunil Gavaskar.

3 reasons why KL Rahul is India's second-best overseas opener of all time

#1 Cumulative numbers

Virender Sehwag is KL Rahul's competitor for the second-best Indian opener spot overseas [Credit: Getty]

If we examine the general batting numbers of Indian openers in overseas Tests, KL Rahul's statistics stack up well against everyone except Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag.

Rahul is third all-time in runs and centuries among Indian openers in away Tests, with 2,309 and 8, respectively. Yet, despite trailing Sehwag in both categories (3,628 and 9), Rahul's ability not to fall early earns him some brownie points over the former.

Sehwag has been dismissed 10 times as an opener in overseas Tests, meaning India have been a wicket down very early in the piece - a cardinal sin away from home.

Meanwhile, KL Rahul has registered only four ducks in his 65 Test innings away from home. Furthermore, a conventional opener's primary job in away Tests is to see off the new ball and settle the nerves over scoring at a rapid rate. Despite trailing Sehwag by 18 innings, Rahul has faced 156 more deliveries than Sehwag in Tests as an opener.

The combination of all these makes the latter the second most reliable opener away from home after Gavaskar.

#2 Off the charts SENA dominance

KL Rahul has conquered SENA conditions like very few modern openers have worldwide [Credit: Getty]

Performances in SENA conditions are the first thing considered when talking about Asian batters and their Test prowess. KL Rahul's otherwise mediocre red-ball numbers are routinely overlooked because of his incredible figures in SENA countries.

With the pitches more often than not challenging, and facing the new ball added to the difficulty for an opening batter, few Asian batters have consistently succeeded in SENA countries. Yet, Rahul has been an anomaly of sorts, with his Test average in these conditions as an opener higher than his overall Test average.

The 33-year-old is second only to Gavaskar in runs and centuries as an opener in SENA countries with 1,647 and 6, respectively. His average of 36.60 is also second only to Gavaskar among Indian openers with at least 1,000 runs in SENA countries.

KL Rahul has been particularly impressive in Tests in England as an opener, with the record for most centuries at four among batters with at least 500 runs. He also averages over 44 in Tests in the UK, three higher than even Gavaskar.

#3 Ability to bat at different gears

Numbers aside, KL Rahul offers something few openers can across conditions - a dynamic batting tempo. The other great Indian openers, Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag, and Gautam Gambhir, predominantly batted in one gear.

While Gavaskar and Gambhir were defiant and orthodox defensive batters, Sehwag was all-out attack from ball one. However, Rahul's success at various positions in the batting order across formats helps him change tempo effortlessly.

The stylish opener can see off the new ball with resolute defense and leave balls, but just as easily explode once set - a quality rarely seen among batters.

Furthermore, Rahul is also equally adept at playing fast bowling and spin across conditions. With the ability to play late and unveil shots all around the ground, the Karnataka opener has an all-round game second to none among Indian openers.

The versatility helps the other batters play to their specific strengths, and this aspect is doubly vital for team success in overseas conditions.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran