Stamping their class over the proceedings of the first Test against England, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul put on the highest partnership by Indian openers in England. They surpassed the previous best partnership by openers set by Gautam Gambhir and Abhinav Mukund in the first Test of the series in 2011 at Lord’s.
Staring from the overnight score of 21/0, both Rohit and Rahul batted with caution and did not allow England with an opportunity to breakthrough in the first session.
The fifty partnership between them is also the third consecutive fifty run partnership by the Indian opening pair at the Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Earlier in 2018, India had opening partnerships of 60 each in both the innings of the third Test of their last tour of England. Notably, KL Rahul has been a constant part of all those three fifty-plus partnerships at the top of the order. He had stitched partnerships with Shikhar Dhawan.
It could well have been the fourth fifty-plus opening partnership in three Tests but the opening pair of Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan could manage 49 runs for the first wicket in the first Test of the series in 2014.
Earlier, on the first day of the ongoing Test, India bowled England out for 183 runs on the back of a four-wicket haul by Jasprit Bumrah and a three-wicket haul by Mohammed Shami.