KL Rahul Breaks 22-Year Record in England, Becomes Highest-Scoring Opener Since Graeme Smith

KL Rahul may have stumbled in the final Test at The Oval, but his overall performance in the series against England was nothing short of historic. Despite scoring just 21 runs across two innings in the fifth Test, Rahul walked away as India's standout batter of the tour—and the most successful opener in England in over two decades.

Historic series for KL Rahul

Rahul began the series as India’s most senior and experienced batter, and he rose to the occasion. While his final Test at The Oval saw him dismissed for 14 and 7, his consistency across the first four matches laid the foundation for a record-breaking tour.

• Total runs: 532

• Innings played: 10

• Average: 53.20

• Centuries: 2

• Half-centuries: 2

• Highest score: 137

He scored 50+ in at least one innings of each of the first four Tests, proving crucial for India’s batting order.

Most runs by an opener in England since 2003

Rahul’s total of 532 runs makes him the highest-scoring opener in England since Graeme Smith’s iconic 714-run series in 2003. That’s a 22-year-old record nearly matched by Rahul—and one that eluded many greats:

• Matthew Hayden

• Virender Sehwag

• Alastair Cook

• Rohit Sharma

• Andrew Strauss

None of these big names managed to score 500+ runs as openers in a single series in England during that period.