New India: India batter KL Rahul could achieve a rare feat if he manages to score a century in the Boxing Day Test agaist Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The right hander has been one of India’s better performers in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series with 235 runs in three matches at an average of 47.00, being second in the leading run scorers list in the series after Travis Head.
Rahul has scored two half centuries in the series so far, with a top score of 84. His impressive form at the top of the innings while partnering Yashasvi Jaiswal has forced India skipper Rohit Sharma to leave his usual opening slot and bat in the middle over.
Hat-trick of tons in sight
Boxing Day Tests, beginning on December 26, hold a special place in Rahul’s career, having scored hundreds for India in his last two matches that began on the day.
Both those centuries were against South Africa, incidentally. The 32-year-old struck 123 runs in 2021 at Centurion, helping India to a memorable win on away soil.
In 2023, Rahul repeated the feat with a 101-run knock against the Proteas at the same venue as India went down in that match.
From Thursday, he would try to become the first Indian batter to hit three successive hundreds in Boxing Day Tests. It would put him ahead of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, each of whom has scored two centuries in Boxing Day Tests.
Before the fourth game of the BGT series Rahul has played in only one Boxing Day Test, managing scores of only three and one in 2014.
India chase hat-trick of wins at MCG
With the five-match series locked at 1-1 after three matches, India will have added motivation to win in Melbourne as it would make them the first touring side since 1885 to win three times on the trot at the iconic venue.
India had beaten Australia at the MCG in 2018 (by 137 runs) and 2020 (by eight wickets) to complete series victories under Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, respectively.
England remain the only side to complete a hat-trick of wins at the MCG (1882, 1885, 1885) remains the only team to achieve the rare feat. India have won four of their 14 matches at the MCG, drawing twice and getting beaten eight times.
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