Perth (Australia): After becoming the first opening pair to register a 100+ run opening stand for India in 20 years, openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal extended their partnership to 200-run and become the first Indian duo to record 200+ run opening partnership in Australia in Tests. Notably, this also marks the highest partnership by Indian openers on Australian soil.
Rahul and Jaiswal forged a massive 201-run opening partnership against Australia on Day 3 of the opening Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday, November 24. With this exceptional outing by both batters, the duo surpassed legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth's 191-run opening stand at Sydney in 1986. The partnership is also the highest by a visiting side except for England since Jack Hobbs and Wilfred Rhodes' iconic 323-run stand in Melbourne in 1912.
𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 🔥
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 24, 2024
A very special moment early on Sunday morning in the Perth Test as the immensely talented @ybj_19 brings up his maiden Test 100 on Australian soil.
He registers his 4th Test ton 👏
Live -… pic.twitter.com/S1kn2sWI0z
Jaiswal and Rahul opening stand lasted for 63 overs. This is the second longest stand in terms of balls faced for India's opening pairs in Tests outside Asia. The longest opening stand for India outside Asia is between Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jasiwal against West Indies in Roseau in 2023 where both batters stitched 229 runs partnership in 75.4 overs.
KL Rahul walks back after a brilliant knock of 77 👏
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 24, 2024
Live - https://t.co/dETXe6cqs9… #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/3wxnY4FMDb
While Jaiswal looked aggressive and was looking to score runs quickly, KL Rahul was happy to play second fiddle in the partnership. Jaiswal recorded his maiden Test century off 205 balls in Australia in his debut game. On the other hand, Rahul smashed a couple of boundaries in the second over of the third day and was looking strong to achieve his century, but fell 23 runs short of a well deserved hundred. He departed on 77 runs off 176 balls.
A moment to cherish for @ybj_19 👏🫡
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 24, 2024
Live - https://t.co/gTqS3UPruo… #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/97OSa35zTD
Jaiswal became the 9th Indian opener to hit a Test century in Australia. He also became the fourth youngest Indian to score a hundred on Australian soil. Jaiswal also became the 19th Indian player to score a 0 and a hundred in the same match. For India players before turning 23, Jaiswal has the joint third-most hundreds (4) along with Sunil Gavaskar and Vinod Kambli. Sachin Tendulkar had the most (8), followed by Ravi Shastri (5).
Jaiswal has added another record to his name as he now has the highest Test score for an Indian batter in Perth, including WACA Ground and Perth Stadium. Earlier, Gavaskar had scored 127 at WACA Ground in 1977.
Visiting Opening Pairs with 200-Plus Stands in Australia
| Runs | Players | Team | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 323 | Jack Hobbs, Wilfred Rhodes | ENG | Melbourne | 1912 |
| 283 | Jack Hobbs, Herbert Sutcliffe | ENG | Melbourne | 1925 |
| 234 | Bob Barber, Geoffrey Boycott | ENG | Sydney | 1966 |
| 223 | Bill Athey, Chris Broad | ENG | Perth (WACA) | 1986 |
| 203 | Michael Atherton, Graham Gooch | ENG | Adelaide | 1991 |
| 201 | Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul | IND | Perth (Optus) | 2024 |
Highest Opening Stands for India in SENA Countries
| Runs | Players | Opponent | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 213 | Sunil Gavaskar, Chetan Chauhan | ENG | The Oval | 1979 |
| 203 | Vijay Merchant, Mushtaq Ali | ENG | Manchester | 1936 |
| 201 | Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul | AUS | Perth (Optus) | 2024 |
| 191 | Sunil Gavaskar, Kris Srikkanth | AUS | Sydney | 1986 |
| 165 | Sunil Gavaskar, Chetan Chauhan | AUS | Melbourne | 1981 |
