KL Rahul has been one of the most consistent and dependable players for Team India in the five-match Test series in England. Rahul came back to his opening position when India's new skipper Shubman Gill decided to bat at number four after both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from this format. With this decision, Rahul finally got a chance to bat in his favorite spot once again and the outcomes have been evident. He has scored 525 runs in 9 innings with an average of 58.33 and he has accumulated these runs with the help of two centuries and two half-centuries. Although he was sent back for only 14 runs off 40 balls in the fifth Test's first innings by Chris Woakes, Rahul achieved a new personal milestone. He is the third Indian player to have faced more than 1000 balls in a series of Tests in England. This indicates how patient and determined he has been in the tour. Most Balls Played by an Indian in a Test Series in England Players Year Innings Balls Faced Sunil Gavaskar 1979 7 1199 Murali Vijay 2014 10 1054 KL Rahul 2025 9 1038* Also Read | Shubman Gill Creates History, Breaks World Record in 5th Test at The Oval Why KL Rahul is Doing So Well in This Series? Back to His Favorite Place - the Opening Position KL Rahul has been shuffled around in the batting order for years. He opened intermittently, batted in the middle order, and did whatever the team wished he would do. But with the retirement of Rohit Sharma, the team handed him the opener's role once more. Rahul is at ease here, and it is reflected in his performance. As a matter of fact, his previous best series prior to this one was also in England in 2021, where he made 315 runs as an opener. He has already crossed that with 525 runs in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England. Intelligent Alterations in His Batting Style Earlier, Rahul used to play away from his body. That tended to make him edge the ball to the slips. But today, he's done something small but clever. He is playing the ball closer to his body and allowing the ball to swing before making a movement. It's this adjustment that has helped him avoid errors and remain longer at the crease. The majority of his runs have been scored through the point and backward point region, indicating he's timing the ball late - which is crucial to perform while batting in English conditions. Thanks to these changes, Rahul has become only the third Indian opener to face over 1000 balls in a Test series in England. That’s a huge achievement and it shows how strong his mindset and technique are.