4 Indian batsmen to hit two fifties on debut in test cricket

Only one Indian batsman has hit a century and a fifty on debut in test cricket.

Team India have always been among the best sides when it comes to the longest format of the game. Over the years, this nation has given some big names that have performed in all conditions against all kinds of bowling attacks. A total of 312 players have represented India in test cricket.

17 made it memorable, scoring a century in their first game. But among all those players that have made their debuts for India, only four have gone on to score two 50+ scores or half-centuries in both innings of the first match. This article is related to those four batters who have scored two fifties in their debut games in test cricket. And among the four, only one Indian batsman has hit a century and a fifty on test debut.

Here are the 4 Indian batsmen to hit two fifties on debut in test cricket

1. Dilwar Hussain:

The first Indian batter to hit two 50+ scores on test debut was Dilwar Hussain. He was born in Lahore and moved to Pakistan after partition, but he played three test matches in his international career, all of which were against England. His first test came in January 1934 at Eden Gardens. Dilwar opened in the first innings and made 59, batting at No. 7 in the second innings he scored 57 runs, and the game ended in a draw.

2. Sunil Gavaskar:

Sunil Gavaskar was the first batter to cross 10,000 runs and 30 centuries in test cricket. He was a legendary batter who retired as certainly one of the best. He started pretty well on his test debut. Gavaskar played his first game against West Indies in Port of Spain in 1971. He scored 65 and an unbeaten 67 in two innings of the game and helped India win by seven wickets. Gavaskar went on to score 774 runs in four matches on his debut test series including four hundreds and three fifties. Gavaskar retired from tests with 10,122 runs and 34 centuries to his name.

3. Shreyas Iyer:

Shreyas Iyer also made a remarkable debut in test cricket. He played his first game against New Zealand in November 2021 in Kanpur. Iyer smashed a brilliant ton in the first innings where he made 105 off 171 balls with 13 fours and two sixes. He also scored fifty in the second innings and made 65 runs, with eight fours and one six and won the Man of the Match award. That match ended in a draw. Shreyas Iyer is the only Indian batter to hit a hundred and a fifty on test debut.

4. Sarfaraz Khan:

Sarfaraz Khan, who amassed massive runs at the domestic level, finally got his first chance to represent India in tests against England in Rajkot in February 2024. He was the 311th player to get an Indian test cap, and he made it count and showed why he was rated very highly. Sarfaraz smashed a 48-ball fifty in the first innings and concluded his innings at 62 off 66, and followed it up with an unbeaten 68 off 72 in the second innings to become only the fourth Indian to score two 50+ scores on test debut.

(All stats and numbers updated till 18th February, 2024)

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