The first Test of the India-England Test series commenced today at Leeds, where England won the toss and opted to bowl first. India’s opening pair at Leeds, with young Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, gave India a decent start by surviving the deadly bowling attack of the English contingent before KL Rahul was dismissed by Brydon Carse on 42 runs. But KL Rahul has been standing like a rock behind since 2011, only 5 times Indian opening pairs have made 90+ Partnership Runs in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) Tests, and KL Rahul has been in all of the major partnerships.
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KL Rahul- The Wall
Since 2011, Indian openers have made a 90+ run partnership in SENA countries only five times. KL Rahul was part of all these partnerships. In 2021, he and Rohit Sharma scored 97 runs at Nottingham and a big 126 runs at Lord’s in England. Later that year, Rahul and Mayank Agarwal had a strong stand of 117 runs at Centurion in South Africa. In 2024, Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal made a brilliant 201-run opening partnership at Perth in Australia. Most recently, in 2025, Rahul and Jaiswal added 91 runs at Leeds in England. These partnerships show how important KL Rahul has been at the top, especially in tough overseas conditions.
| Year | Venue | Opening Pair | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Nottingham | KL Rahul / Rohit Sharma | 97 |
| 2021 | Lord’s | KL Rahul / Rohit Sharma | 126 |
| 2021 | Centurion | KL Rahul / Mayank Agarwal | 117 |
| 2024 | Perth | KL Rahul / Yashasvi Jaiswal | 201 |
| 2025 | Leeds | KL Rahul / Yashasvi Jaiswal | 91 |
Milestone in Leeds
At Leeds, Rahul and Jaiswal have also achieved another milestone; the opening pair has become the pair with the most opening runs at Leeds. Rahul and Jaiswal together made 91 runs before the former was dismissed by Brydon Carse on 42 runs. Yashasvi Jasiwal is still on the crease and is nearing a potential half century.
