KL Rahul vs Virender Sehwag - Comparing the stats of the two after 58 Tests

Team India batter KL Rahul made his Test debut against Australia in Melbourne in the Boxing Day Test of 2014. A decade later, he remains one of the biggest enigmas of world cricket. The 32-year-old has immense potential with the willow but perhaps lacks the mental toughness to perform consistently at the top level.

Rahul's batting performance in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia recently was on rather expected lines, if one might say so. He began the Test series on a positive note, registering a resilient 77 in the second innings of the opening match in Perth. Rahul, however, managed only one fifty-plus score in his remaining eight innings during the tour - 84 at The Gabba in Brisbane.

While he has batted in the middle-order as well, Rahul has opened the innings for the majority of his Test career. In this feature, we compare his red-ball stats for India with those of Virender Sehwag, who is widely regarded as one of the country's finest openers in Test cricket.

---

KL Rahul vs Virender Sehwag: Who has scored more runs after 58 Tests?

Having played 58 Test matches (101 innings), Rahul has scored 3,257 runs at an average of 33.57, with the aid of eight hundreds and 17 fifties. The right-handed batter has been dismissed without scoring on nine occasions. Of his eight Test tons, three have come against England, two against South Africa and one each against Australia, Sri Lanka, and West Indies.

Sehwag played a total of 104 Tests during his career, scoring 8,586 runs at an average of 49.34, with 23 centuries and 32 half-centuries. Looking at his batting stats after 58 Tests (98 innings), he had scored 4,851 runs at an impressive average of 51.06 and a strike rate of 76.69, with 14 hundreds and 13 fifties. Sehwag was out for a duck on nine occasions in his first 58 Tests.

Of his 14 centuries, four came against Pakistan, three each against Australia and South Africa, two against the West Indies and one each against England and New Zealand. On his day, he was absolutely destructive with the willow.

---

KL Rahul vs Virender Sehwag: Who has scored more double centuries after 58 Tests?

Batters are expected to post big scores in the Test format and not just hundreds as those might not prove to be enough to win a contest that can last up to five days. Most prominent Test batters have converted some of their three-figure scores into double hundreds. A few of them have gone on to post triple centuries as well.

If we look at the number of double centuries scored by Rahul, he has been extremely disappointing in this aspect. The right-handed batter has failed to convert even a single three-figure score into a double hundred. The Karnataka cricketer has a highest Test score of 199, which was registered against England in Chennai in December 2016. He hit 16 fours and three sixes in his knock.

In contrast, four of Sehwag's first 14 Test tons were scores in excess of 200. Two of them were, in fact, triple hundreds. The former Delhi cricketer's highest of 319 was registered in Chennai in March 2008. Sehwag also notched up 309 against Pakistan in Multan in March 2004, 254 against Pakistan in Lahore in January 2006 and 201 against Pakistan in Bengaluru in March 2005.

Further, the 46-year-old was dismissed between 150 and 199 six times. The dashing right-handed batter scored 195 against Australia in Melbourne in December 2003, 180 against West Indies in Gros Islet in June 2006 and 173 against Pakistan in Mohali in March 2005. Sehwag crossed the 150-mark in two Tests against Australia and one against South Africa.

---

KL Rahul vs Virender Sehwag: Who has a better overseas record after 58 Tests?

Of his 58 Tests, Rahul has played 38 away from home. In 69 innings, he has scored 2,108 runs at an average of 31, with seven tons and as many fifties. The 32-year-old has 463 runs in 10 Tests in Australia at an average of 25.72, and 614 runs in nine Tests in England, averaging 34.11. Further, Rahul averages 28.38 from seven Tests in South Africa and is yet to play a Test in New Zealand.

Of his first 58 Tests, Sehwag played 33 away from home. In 55 innings, he scored 2,600 runs at an average of 48.14, with seven tons and six fifties. The 46-year-old scored 833 runs in seven Tests in Australia, averaging 59.50. He scored 237 runs in four Tests in England, averaging 39.50 and 238 runs in five Tests in South Africa, averaging 26.44. Sehwag scored 40 runs in two Tests in New Zealand.