Making a debut in international cricket is always a momentous occasion in a player’s career, and more so in the Test format. Getting a chance to don the whites and make an immediate mark is every player’s dream.
However, a few players grab the opportunity with both hands and put on significant runs on board in their debut match. Some batters hammer centuries, while others score fifties to kickstart their Test career in style.
Here, in this article, we’ll list the batters with 2 50-plus scores in both innings in their debut Test match.
Batters with 2 50+ Scores in Both Innings on Test Debut
| Player | Inns 1 | Inns 2 | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KS Ranjitsinhji (ENG) | 62 | 154* | Australia | Manchester | 16 Jul 1896 |
| George Gunn (ENG) | 119 | 74 | Australia | Sydney | 13 Dec 1907 |
| Herbie Collins (AUS) | 70 | 104 | England | Sydney | 17 Dec 1920 |
| Bruce Mitchell (SA) | 88 | 61* | England | Birmingham | 15 Jun 1929 |
| Frank de Caires (WI) | 80 | 70 | England | Bridgetown | 11 Jan 1930 |
| Jackie Grant (WI) | 53* | 71* | Australia | Adelaide | 12 Dec 1930 |
| Dilawar Hussain (IND) | 59 | 57 | England | Eden Gardens | 5 Jan 1934 |
| Merv Wallace (NZ) | 52 | 56 | England | Lord’s | 26 Jun 1937 |
| Paul Gibb (ENG) | 93 | 106 | South Africa | Johannesburg | 24 Dec 1938 |
| Cyril Poole (ENG) | 55 | 69* | India | Eden Gardens | 30 Dec 1951 |
| Noel Harford (NZ) | 93 | 64 | Pakistan | Lahore | 26 Oct 1955 |
| Peter Richardson (ENG) | 81 | 73 | Australia | Nottingham | 7 Jun 1956 |
| Graham Dowling (NZ) | 74 | 58 | South Africa | Johannesburg | 26 Dec 1961 |
| Bryan Davis (WI) | 54 | 58 | Australia | Port of Spain | 26 Mar 1965 |
| Clive Lloyd (WI) | 82 | 78* | India | Brabourne | 13 Dec 1966 |
| Sunil Gavaskar (IND) | 65 | 67* | West Indies | Port of Spain | 6 Mar 1971 |
| Lawrence Rowe (WI) | 214 | 100* | New Zealand | Kingston | 16 Feb 1972 |
| Tony Greig (ENG) | 57 | 62 | Australia | Manchester | 8 Jun 1972 |
| Rodney Redmond (NZ) | 107 | 56 | Pakistan | Auckland | 16 Feb 1973 |
| Gordon Greenidge (WI) | 93 | 107 | India | Bengaluru | 22 Nov 1974 |
| Peter Toohey (AUS) | 82 | 57 | India | Brisbane | 2 Dec 1977 |
| Rick Darling (AUS) | 65 | 56 | India | Adelaide | 28 Jan 1978 |
| Sew Shivnarine (WI) | 53 | 63 | Australia | Georgetown | 31 Mar 1978 |
| Bruce Laird (AUS) | 92 | 75 | West Indies | Brisbane | 1 Dec 1979 |
| Azhar Mahmood (PAK) | 128* | 50* | South Africa | Rawalpindi | 6 Oct 1997 |
| Javed Omar (BAN) | 62 | 85* | Zimbabwe | Bulawayo | 19 Apr 2001 |
| Lou Vincent (NZ) | 104 | 54 | Australia | Perth | 30 Nov 2001 |
| Scott Styris (NZ) | 107 | 69* | West Indies | St George’s | 28 Jun 2002 |
| Yasir Hameed (PAK) | 170 | 105 | Bangladesh | Karachi | 20 Aug 2003 |
| Andrew Strauss (ENG) | 112 | 83 | New Zealand | Lord’s | 20 May 2004 |
| Kevin Pietersen (ENG) | 57 | 64* | Australia | Lord’s | 21 Jul 2005 |
| Alastair Cook (ENG) | 60 | 104* | India | Nagpur | 1 Mar 2006 |
| Tamim Iqbal (BAN) | 53 | 84 | New Zealand | Dunedin | 4 Jan 2008 |
| Umar Akmal (PAK) | 129 | 75 | New Zealand | Dunedin | 24 Nov 2009 |
| Dinesh Chandimal (SL) | 58 | 54 | South Africa | Durban | 26 Dec 2011 |
| Faf du Plessis (SA) | 78 | 110* | Australia | Adelaide | 22 Nov 2012 |
| Moises Henriques (AUS) | 68 | 81* | India | Chennai | 22 Feb 2013 |
| Kusal Perera (SL) | 55 | 70 | India | Colombo (SSC) | 28 Aug 2015 |
| Fakhar Zaman (PAK) | 94 | 66 | Australia | Abu Dhabi | 16 Oct 2018 |
| Shreyas Iyer (IND) | 105 | 65 | New Zealand | Kanpur | 25 Nov 2021 |
| Abdullah Shafique (PAK) | 52 | 73 | Bangladesh | Chattogram | 26 Nov 2021 |
| Harry Tector (IRE) | 50 | 56 | Bangladesh | Mirpur | 4 Apr 2023 |
| Sarfaraz Khan (IND) | 62 | 68* | England | Rajkot | 15 Feb 2024 |
Key Insights
1: KS Ranjitsinhji became the first batter to smash 2 50-plus scores in both innings on Test debut. Ranji, after whom India’s premier First-Class competition is named, represented England in Tests.
2: West Indies’ Lawrence Rowe and Pakistan’s Yasir Hameed are the only 2 batters to hammer centuries in both innings in the debut Test match.
Rowe brought up 214 in the 1st innings and followed that up with an unbeaten 100 against New Zealand in 1972. Hameed emulated Rowe’s feat after 31 years in 2003 against Bangladesh, scoring 170 and 105 in 2 innings.
314: Rowe’s aggregate of both innings — 314 runs — is the highest number of runs scored by a batter in a debut Test match.
Also Read | Top 10: Most Runs by a Batter in a Test Match
16: Among the batters listed above, over 16 notched up at least 1 century in their debut Test, along with a half-century. Ranjitsinhji was the first batter to get a fifty in one innings and a century in another on Test debut.
2: Jackie Grant (53* and 71*) and Azhar Mahmood (128* and 50*) are the only 2 batters to remain not out after making 50-plus scores in both innings on Test debut.
1: Grant is the only batter to score 50-plus knocks in both innings while captaining his side on Test debut. He was the captain of the West Indies in his debut Test against Australia in 1930.
3: Thus far, Dilawar Hussain (India), Dinesh Chandimal, and Kusal Perera (both from Sri Lanka) are the only 3 designated wicketkeeper batters to have scored 2 50-plus knocks on debut.
Coincidentally, Hussain and Chandimal were the first players from their respective teams to bring up 2 50-plus scores in both innings on Test debut.
7: Only 5 batters have notched up 50-plus scores in both innings while coming to bat at No. 7 or lower position. The batters are Sew Shivnarine, Mahmood, Chandimal, Moises Henriques, and Perera.
774: Sunil Gavaskar started his Test career with 65 and 67* in his debut Test match and went on to garner a whopping 774 runs in his debut Test series in 1971. Gavaskar’s tally of runs is the highest by a batter in a debut Test series.
