The list of fastest centurions on Test debut features some relatively recent performances. Here’s a look at them, along with some key stats.
Fastest Centuries on Test Debut
| Player | Balls Taken to 100 | Against | Final Score | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shikhar Dhawan (IND) | 85 | Australia | 187 (174) | Mohali | 2013 |
| Josh Inglis (AUS) | 90 | Sri Lanka | 102 (94) | Galle | 2025 |
| Dwayne Smith (WI) | 93 | South Africa | 105 (105)* | Cape Town | 2004 |
| Prithvi Shaw (IND) | 99 | West Indies | 134 (154) | Rajkot | 2018 |
| Matt Prior (ENG) | 105 | West Indies | 126 (128)* | Lord’s | 2007 |
| Abul Hasan (BAN) | 106 | West Indies | 113 (123) | Khulna | 2012 |
| Lhuan-dre Pretorius (SA) | 112 | Zimbabwe | 153 (160) | Bulawayo | 2025 |
| Basil Williams (WI) | 117 | Australia | 100 (118) | Georgetown | 1978 |
| James Neesham (NZ) | 123 | India | 137* (154) | Wellington | 2014 |
| Mark Waugh (AUS) | 126 | England | 138 (188) | Adelaide | 1991 |
See the equivalent fastest debut century records for T20I and ODI formats here.
Key Insights
Shikhar Dhawan’s incredible hundred off 85 balls against Australia in 2013 is the fastest by a debutant in Test cricket.
Dhawan also smashed the quickest 150 on debut on his way to 187. He went past the mark in 131 deliveries. His 187 is also the highest score for India on debut in Test cricket.
Overall, the highest Test score on debut belongs to Tip Foster. The Englishman aggregated 287 against Australia in the second innings of the 1903 Sydney Test.
Dwayne Smith’s 93-ball ton is the fastest by a Test debutant in the fourth innings. He remained unbeaten on 105 off 105 against South Africa in the drawn Cape Town Test in 2004.
Josh Inglish has recorded the highest strike rate among debut Test centurions. He struck at 108.51 while scoring 102 runs in 94 balls against Sri Lanka in 2025. Dhawan (107.47) and Smith (100.00) are the other debutants with a strike rate of 100 or above.
Matt Prior, who is in the top five, has smashed the quickest hundred on Test debut among wicketkeepers. He needed 105 deliveries to bring up his maiden Test ton against the West Indies in 2007.
Brendon Kuruppu, on the other hand, scored the slowest debut century as a wicketkeeper. He took 253 balls to reach the triple-digit figures against New Zealand in 1987.
Kuruppu also brought up the slowest double hundred among all Test debutants. He crossed the 200-run mark on the 548th ball he faced to end up with an unbeaten 201.
Kuruppu’s 201 is also the longest knock by a Test debutant in terms of balls and minutes. He faced 548 balls in his 777-minute stay on the pitch.
No other batter has played more than 450 balls in an innings on Test debut, though six more batters stayed on the pitch for 500-plus minutes.
Nawab of Pataudi, meanwhile, scored the slowest Test century on debut. He reached the 100-run mark off 366 balls for England against Australia in 1932.
Abul Hasan’s 113 came at the No.10 batting position, which is just the second one at that position after Reggie Duff’s 104 in 1902.
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