Only a handful of Indian cricketers have managed to score a century at the iconic Lord's
The much-awaited England vs. India Test series is knocking on our doors, and as always, fans wish to see a few centuries from the Indian side. The Test matches will be played at five iconic venues, but our focus is on the Lord's Cricket Ground, the Mecca of Cricket, which is the venue for the third game.
For every international batter, scoring a Test century at the Lord's Cricket Ground is a dream. And from India, only a handful of Indian batters have achieved the impossible.
Ahead of the England vs. India Test series, we take a look at five Test centuries that, in our book of thoughts, are the best knocks ever.
The year was 1996 when a young Indian batsman with a dream in his eyes entered Lord's for the first time. Not to forget, it was also his first time wearing the white Test jersey for India. Sourav Ganguly played one of the finest innings of his career, hitting 131 runs in 301 balls at Lord's – a Test debut like no other.
Ajit Agarkar had all the ingredients to become a great all-rounder, but unfortunately, his career did not last long. He established himself more as a bowler, but at times, he also shocked everyone with the willow. He is part of this elite list because his only international century was at Lord's in 2002, when he scored 109 runs off 190 balls in the game's fourth innings.
In 2011, the first innings between England and India at Lord's saw England posting 478. In response, the Indian batting order succumbed, with only Abhinav Mukund scoring 49. The rest came to the pitch and left in a jiffy, except one—Rahul Dravid, the Wall of Indian cricket. Saving India from embarrassment, Dravid faced 220 balls to score 103 runs, helping India reach 286. The team did not win but saved itself from embarrassing headlines.
In the 2014 England vs. India Test series, India had won only one match, but that one victory was achieved at Lord's. The credit for the victory goes to Ajinkya Rahane, who created a 90-run partnership with pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Alongside, he hit a century, scoring 103 runs off 154 runs. India won the match by 95 runs, marking a historic overseas victory despite losing the series.
KL Rahul's career may have been tainted with inconsistency, but he is a treat to watch when he gets going. His 129 runs at Lord's in 2021 helped India score 364 in the first innings. Eventually, India won the game by 151 runs. Rahul was the last century scorer at Lord's for India.
