Numbers Game: K L Rahul joins legends with career-best 158

Lokesh Rahul is the third Indian opener to register his first three Test hundreds away from home, after Sunil Gavaskar (8) and Vinoo Mankad (3).

IMAGE: India’s K L Rahul celebrates after completing 150 during Day 2 of the second Test, in Jamaica, on Sunday. Photograph: WICB Media Photo/Athelstan Bellamy.

Opener K L Rahul’s career-best 158 put India in the driver’s seat in the second Test against the West Indies, in Kingston, Jamaica.

The visitors, who lead the series 1-0, amassed a comfortable 358 for 5 on Day 2 of the match and took a convincing lead of 162 runs.

Rahul, who scored his third Test century, equalled former captain Mohammad Azharuddin’s record by converting his first three fifties into hundreds.

The opener also joined legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar and Vinoo Mankad in scoring his first three centuries away from home.

Statistician Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from Day 2 of the Kingston Test.

K L Rahul (158) scored his third hundred in Test cricket and his highest Test score.

K L Rahul’s innings break-up (158 off 303 balls)

Dots	225
1s	42
2s	16
3s	2
4s	15
6s	3

K L Rahul’s wagon wheel

Thirdman	9
Cover	11
Extra Cover	27
Long-off	33
Long-on	27
Mid-wicket	13
Square-leg	24
Fine-leg	14
......
Off-side	80
On-side	78

IMAGE: K L Rahul drives through the off-side during Day 2 of the second Test, in Jamaica, on Sunday. Photograph: WICB Media Photo/Athelstan Bellamy.

K L Rahul against each bowler

	Balls	Runs	SR	4s	6s
Gabriel	64	23	35.94	3	0
Cummins	42	30	71.43	6	0
Holder	56	22	39.29	2	0
Chase	63	42	66.67	3	1
Bishoo	46	29	63.04	1	2
Brathwaite	32	12	37.50	0	0
TOTAL	141	83	52.15	4	3

Rahul became the first Indian opener to score a hundred in his maiden Test innings in the West Indies.

Highest scores by Indian openers in maiden innings in West Indies

Score	Player	Venue	Season
158	KL Rahul	Kingston	2016
96	Ajay Jadeja	St. John's	1996-97
84	Shikhar Dhawan	North Sound	2016
65	Sunil Gavaskar	Port-of-Spain	1970-71
64	Madhav Apte	Port-of-Spain	1952-53
64	VVS Laxman	Kingston	1996-97

There are only two higher scores than Rahul’s 158 for a visiting opener in his maiden Test innings in West Indies – 223* by New Zealand’s Glenn Turner (Kingston, 1971-72) and 163 by South Africa’s Andrew Hudson (Bridgetown, 1991-92).

Rahul’s innings is the highest by an Indian in his maiden Test innings in the West Indies, beating Polly Umrigar’s 130

IMAGE: K L Rahul celebrates after completing 150 during Day 2 of the second Test, in Jamaica, on Sunday. Photograph: WICB Media Photo/Athelstan Bellamy.

Highest scores by Indians in maiden Test innings in the West Indies

Score	Player	Venue	Season
158	KL Rahul	Kingston	2016
130	Polly Umrigar	Port-of-Spain	1952-53
115*	Brijesh Patel	Port-of-Spain	1975-76
113	Ravi Ashwin	North Sound	2016
108	Sanjay Manjrekar	Bridgetown	1988-89

Rahul’s innings is the highest by an Indian opener at Kingston and sixth highest in the West Indies.

Highest scores by Indian openers in West Indies

Score	Player	Venue	Season
220	Sunil Gavaskar	Port-of-Spain	1970-71
212	Wasim Jaffer	St. John's	2006
201	Navjot Sidhu	Port-of-Spain	1996-97
180	Virender Sehwag	Gros Islet	2006
163*	Madhav Apte	Port-of-Spain	1952-53
158	KL Rahul	Kingston	2016
156	Sunil Gavaskar	Port-of-Spain	1975-76
150	Pankaj Roy	Kingston	1952-53

The 158 is Rahul’s highest score in Test cricket, beating the 110 he made against Australia at Sydney in 2015.

Rahul is only the second Indian to convert his first three fifties in to hundreds, after Mohammad Azharuddin.

Indians converting first three fifties in to 100s

Scores	Batsman	Period
110, 105 & 122	Mohammad Azharuddin	1984-85
110, 108 & 158	KL Rahul	2014-16

- India's Tour of the West Indies

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