List of Indian batsmen to hit century on test captaincy debut

Only five Indian batsmen have hit a hundred on test captaincy debut.

Scoring a hundred in test cricket is regarded as one of the biggest feats in the career of a cricketer. It becomes more special when they achieve this feat while leading their country. Over the years countless captains have scored a test ton.

But scoring a hundred on captaincy debut is a dream come true moment for any captain. The pressure on a captaincy debut is always immense, but some players have started their captaincy stint with a bang.

In the history of test cricket, only 33 captains have achieved this feat, and five among them are Indians. That is what we will discuss in this article, where we go through the list of Indian batsmen to hit a hundred on test captaincy debut.

Indian players to hit century on test captaincy debut

1. Vijay Hazare – 164* vs England, 1951, Delhi

The first ever Indian captain to score a century on test captaincy debut was Indian legend Vijay Hazare. Known for his unmatchable batting strength, Hazare played his first test as captain against England in Delhi in November 1951.

The game ended in a draw, but he slammed an unbeaten 164 runs in the first innings to help India declare at 418/6. He became only the third captain after Australia’s Clement Hill and Warwick Armstrong to score 150+ on test captaincy debut.

2. Sunil Gavaskar – 116 vs New Zealand, 1976, Auckland

Sunil Gavaskar was arguably India’s finest test opener of all time, who made a stunning entry to test cricket in 1971. He retired from the game with most centuries and runs in this format of the game. He started his captaincy stint with a century as well.

His first game as captain was against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland in January 1976. He slammed 116 in the first innings and an unbeaten 35 in the second innings to lead India to a win by eight wickets. Gavaskar led India in 47 tests in his career.

3. Dilip Vengsarkar – 102 vs West Indies, 1987, Delhi

Dilip Balwant Vengsarkar was one of India’s best batters in the 1970s and 1980s. He used to tear apart the opposition bowlers with elegant stroke play on his day. He was one of the first few Indian players to play 100 tests for India.

Vengsarkar made his captaincy debut in a test against the West Indies in Delhi in November 1987. India had a horrible collapse in the first innings, getting all out for just 75 runs. But, he then took the charge in the second innings, scoring a fighting 102 off 257 runs. No other Indian batter scored a fifty in the entire game except him. India lost the game by five wickets, but Vengsarkar made a big statement.

4. Virat Kohli – 115 & 141 vs Australia, 2014, Adelaide

Virat Kohli was arguably India’s best captain in test cricket. Be it in India or in SENA countries, he made the Indian test team a formidable force to reckon with. Under him, India finished at the top of test rankings for five consecutive years. His start as test captain was another historic moment.

He became the second captain after Greg Chappell to score twin centuries on test captaincy debut. Virat made his test captaincy debut against Australia at Adelaide Oval in 2014, in the absence of MS Dhoni, and slammed 115 and 141 runs across two innings. Though India lost the test, that began India’s golden days in test cricket under Virat Kohli’s captaincy.

5. Shubman Gill – 102* vs England, 2025, Leeds

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from test cricket in May 2025, and Shubman Gill was then given the charge of the side in whites. His first test assignment was a five-match test series against England.

There were a lot of questions on Gill’s caliber as captain, but the star batter gave his critics a befitting reply with a hundred on his test captaincy debut. He became fifth Indian batter to hit a ton on test captaincy debut, joining the elite list of players like Vijay Merchant, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Virat Kohli. He slammed 102* against England at Headingley, Leeds on June 20, 2025.

(All stats updated till 20th June, 2025)

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