KL Rahul kick-started his England tour on a high by scoring a century on the first day of the second unofficial Test between India A and England Lions on Friday (June 6) at the County Ground in Northampton.

Rahul replaced Sarfaraz Khan in the playing XI despite the latter scoring a fine knock of 92 in the first game, which ended in a draw. Skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran demoted himself as Rahul walked out to open the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal. After the Lions won toss and chose to bowl first, Rahul looked at ease despite a green pitch and cloudy conditions. The home team fielded a strong bowling unit consisting of Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue, who will play for England in the Test series against India.Rahul made a knock of 111 in 168 balls before being dismissed by George Hill.

No other Indian player in the top six managed a half-century. This was the 19th first-class century of his Rahul's career and the first and his first with India-A

KL Rahul Justifies Special Request To BCCI

It is worth noting that Rahul was not originally named in the India A squad and was expected to fly to England with the rest of the senior squad today. However, the star batter reportedly asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allow him to play the second match after Delhi Capitals' (DC) early exit from the IPL, Rahul informed the BCCI and chief selector Ajit Agarkar about his desire to play for India 'A.

Rahul has given himself ample time to prepare for the Test series starting from June 20 as the Indian senior team and India 'A' are also set to play an intra-squad match from June 13.

Gautam Gambhir, Shubman Gill's Opening Spot Dilemna Ends

After Rohit Sharma's retirement, new captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir faced a question mark over Yashasvi Jaiswal's opening partnership.

However, Rahul's ton would have ended any debate. It is worth noting that Rahul had decent returns in Australia, where he opened the batting in four of the five matches. The 33-year-old also comes with experience, which will be crucial for India in the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy. He was key to India's success in England during the 2021-22 series with the highlight being a fine century at Lord's. After Rohit and Virat Kohli bidding adiue to the longest format, the team is short on experience, which makes Rahul's role crucial for the Gill-led side.