Indian Cricketers Who Scored a Century on Test Debut

Lala Amarnath Bharadwaj

As Lyer becomes the 16th Indian batsman to have scored a test century on debut, let's take a nostalgic look back through the years and find out about some of the other 15.

Lala Amarnath Bharadwaj (1933)

Lala Amarnath's debut test century (118) against England came on 15th December 1933 in Bombay, simultaneously marking it as the first century by any Indian batsman in test cricket. Considering the right-handed all-rounder managed to achieve this incredible feat 15 years before Indian Independence (1947), it will forever be one of the most special test centuries on any list.

Deepak Shodan (1952)

Shodan only managed to enter the final squad for the Calcutta Test against Pakistan in 1952 because Vijay Hazare had to drop out of the test. His 110 on 12th December was both an unexpected and a very welcome result, playing a big role in ensuring that India could draw the test to win the series 2 - 1.

A.G. Kripal Singh (1955)

Kripal Singh came from a family of cricketers and on getting a chance to play for the Indian national team, he scored a century (100') in his very first test innings against New Zealand on 19th November 1955. Accounting for the fact that he was a bowling (off-break) all-rounder, that was quite an achievement.

Abbas Ali Baig (1959)

The youngest Indian batsman to score a test century on his debut, Baig was only 20 at the time. His debut 112 on 23rd July 1959 came against England in Manchester, making him the first Indian batsman to score a debut test century outside India.

Gundappa Viswanath (1969)

The first Indian batsman to score a debut century against Australia, Gundappa Viswanath's 137 at the Kanpur test marked only the beginning of his wonderful cricketing career. One of India's best batsmen of the time, he ended his test career with 91 caps, 14 centuries (HS: 222), and 35 half-centuries.

Surinder Amarnath Bharadwaj (1976)

Surinder Amarnath repeated his father's feat 43 years later on 24th January 1976. However, his 124 score came on a foreign pitch against New Zealand in Auckland. His later cricketing career was not as successful as his father's, unfortunately.

Mohammad Azharuddin (1984)

With 22 centuries (HS: 199) and 21 half-centuries at the end of 99 tests, Mohammad Azharuddin is considered to be one of the most stylish batsmen of his time. It all began when Azharuddin scored his debut test century (110) at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata against England on 31st December 1984.

Pravin Amre (1992)

The first Indian batsman to score a debut test century against South Africa in Durban, Pravin Amre's 103 on 13th November 1992 remained his highest test score at the time of his retirement from international cricket.

Sourav Ganguly (1996)

One of the greatest left-handed batsmen of all time in Indian cricket and the second most successful national team skipper, Sourav Ganguly still remains the first and only Indian batsman to have scored a debut test century (131) at Lords, England, vs England (20th June 1996). He also remains the only Indian batsman to have scored two consecutive centuries in their 1st and 2nd test (136 at Trent Bridge) abroad.

Virender Sehwag (2001)

Virender Sehwag in his prime was the most aggressive batsman in world cricket, right alongside Adam Gilchrist and Sanath Jayasuriya. 1/4th of the only 4 elite test cricketers in the history of international test cricket to have scored two triple centuries (309 & 319), it all started with his debut knock of 105 run on 3rd November 2001, against South Africa at Bloemfontein.

Shikhar Dhawan

Dhawan's 187 of 174 balls at Mohali against Australia on the 14th of March 2013 is simultaneously the highest score and the fastest century (100 of 85) by any test debutant in the history of test cricket. While his records are impressive across all formats of the game, Shikhar Dhawan's recent Indian Premier League odds have been exceptional, putting him in the 2nd position behind only Virat Kohli as the highest run scorer (5784) across all seasons of the IPL.

Prithvi Shaw

On the 4th of October 2018, Prithvi Shaw became the 15th member of the elite club of Indian cricketers who had scored a century on their very first test. Shaw's 134 also made him the youngest Indian (18+) cricketer to achieve the feat.

Shreyas Lyer recently joined the list of 15 exceptional Indian batsmen who all scored a century on their debut test, making it an even 16. His impressive knock of 105 (171) came to an end on the second day of the first test (New Zealand tour of India), after getting caught in cover by Will Young, giving Southee his fourth wicket of the innings.