Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul leave the field in Perth on the brink of India record

Opening pair Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul put India in a dominant position on day two of the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test today (November 22), batting out two sessions and securing a 218-run lead by the end of play with all ten wickets still in hand. 

The partnership was in stark contrast to day one when Jaiswal was dismissed for a duck and India were left 5-1. Rahul also fell cheaply in the first innings on his return to the opener position, scoring 26 off 74 balls as India were bowled out for 150. In response however, Australia collapsed to 104 all out thanks to a Jasprit Bumrah five-for, giving the tourists a first-innings lead.

The pitch eased significantly compared to the opening day, and Rahul and Jaiswal were able to extend India's lead. They went into the tea break on 84-0 and leading by over 100, both closing in on half-centuries. Jaiswal reached his 50 first after the break, with Rahul following in the second half of the session.

During the evening session, the partnership passed 150 runs - only the third time an India opening partnership has crossed the milestone in men's Tests in Australia. The first pair to do it were Cheetan Chauhan and Sunil Gavaskar in 1981, while Gavaskar also featured in the highest opening partnership for India in men's Tests in Australia alongside Kris Srikkanth, which was 191 in 1986.

Jaiswal and Rahul left the field at the end of play on day two with their partnership standing at 177, second on the list and just 14 runs off Gavaskar and Srikkanth's record.

On the third morning, they needed exactly 30 minutes to not just cross Gavaskar and Srikkanth's record, but to become only the second touring side after England to register a double-century opening stand in Austraila, England having done so five times. The most recent was the 203 Michael Atherton and Graham Gooch put on in Adelaide in January 1991, while the record is the 323 put on by Jack Hobbs and Wilf Rhodes in Melbourne in 1912.

Full list: Highest India men's Test opening partnerships in Australia

Players Runs Innings Venue Year
Yashasvi Jaiswal & KL Rahul 201 2 Perth 2024
Sunil Gavaskar & Kris Srikkanth 191 1 Sydney 1986
Cheetan Chauhan & Sunil Gavaskar 165 2 Melbourne 1981
Aakash Chopra & Virender Sehwag 146 2 Melbourne 2003
Rohit Sharma & Shubman Gill 141 2 Sydney 2021
Syed Abid Ali & Farokh Engineer 139 2 Sydney 1968
Vinoo Mankad & Chandu Sarwate 134 2 Melbourne 1948
Aakash Chopra & Virender Sehwag 134 2 Sydney 2004
Aakash Chopra & Virender Sehwag 114 2 Adelaide 2003
Navjot Sidhu & Kris Srikkanth 107 2 Perth 1992

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