Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul scripted history on Sunday (November 24), breaking Sunil Gavaskar and Kris Srikkanth’s 38-year-old record for the highest opening partnership for India in a Test match played in Australia. The duo added 201 runs for the first wicket during the ongoing Test against Australia at Perth, surpassing Gavaskar and Srikkanth’s 191-run partnership from the Sydney Test in January 1986.
A Historic Partnership
The previous highest opening partnership for India in Australia was held by Gavaskar and Srikkanth, who achieved their milestone at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) during the 1986 series. With this achievement, Jaiswal and Rahul have now set their sights on further extending their record.
The Jaiswal-Rahul stand now tops the list of opening partnerships for India in Australia. The updated list is as follows:
- Yashasvi Jaiswal & KL Rahul – 201 in Perth, 2024
- Sunil Gavaskar & Kris Srikkanth – 191 in Sydney, 1986
- Sunil Gavaskar & Chetan Chauhan – 165 in Melbourne, 1981
- Virender Sehwag & Aakash Chopra – 141 in Melbourne, 2003
- Vinoo Mankad & Chandu Sarwate – 124 in Melbourne, 1948
Their efforts also brought India closer to surpassing the all-time highest opening partnership in a Test match between the two nations in Australia. Geoff Marsh and David Boon hold the record with a 217-run stand for Australia in Sydney in 1986.
Jaiswal’s Maiden Century
In addition to their partnership record, Yashasvi Jaiswal celebrated a personal milestone by scoring his maiden Test century. He reached this landmark by hitting Josh Hazlewood for a six when he was on 95 runs. At just 22 years old, Jaiswal joined an elite group of Indian players who have scored centuries in their first Test matches in Australia. The first Indian to achieve this feat was Motganhalli Jaisimha, who scored 101 runs in Brisbane in January 1968.
Jaiswal’s century is particularly notable as it marks the first time an Indian opener has crossed the century mark in Australia since Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra combined for a 123-run opening stand in Sydney during the 2003-04 tour.
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