KL Rahul becomes fastest Team India cricketer to score 6 consecutive 50s

Colombo: India opener KL Rahul equalled the record of two legendary Team India batters Gunduppa Viswanath and Rahul Dravid, as he scored his 6th consecutive half century, against Sri Lanka, on Thursday.

Playing only his 18th Test match, Rahul, who is currently making a comeback to the national side after a long layoff due to a shoulder injury, followed by a bout of flu, notched up the eighth 50 of his career in the first innings of India’s second Test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club, in Colombo.

With this half century, KL Rahul notched up his sixth fifty in as many consecutive innings, thus equalling the likes of Dravid and Viswanath in this feat.

Rahul, who has scored 57, had started his half century streak against Steve Smith’s Australia at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in his hometown Bengaluru, where he scored a 90 and a 51, in a 75-run victory for India. He followed that up with a first innings 67 in the drawn Ranchi Test (did not bat in the second innings), and another 67 and 51 (not out) in Dharamsala, against the Aissies.

Former India captain Rahul Dravid, achieved this feat in 1997/98, scoring 92, 93, 85, 52, 56 and 86 against Sri Lanka and Australia.

Meanwhile, Viswanath Achieved this feat in 1977/78, notching up scores of 59, 54, 79, 89, 73 and 143 against Australia and Pakistan.

Interestingly, Rahul became the fastest Indian (18 Tests) to achieve this feat; he also became the first India opener to score six consecutive fifties in Test cricket. Another half century in the second innings would help the Karnataka batsman level-up with Australian cricketer Chris Rogers, who scored seven fifties against India and Engalnd in 2014/15.