India’s young left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal on Thursday became the 17th player from the country to score a century on Test debut after he reached the three-figure mark on day two of the ongoing first Test against West Indies, here.
Jaiswal, who resumed day two’s play on 40 not out, was watchful, yet positive during his stay at the crease. He accelerated after the lunch break and completed a well-made hundred in 215 balls, laced with 11 boundaries.
The opener completed his hundred on Test debut in the 70th over, when the opening stand with captain Rohit Sharma had crossed 200. This is India’s highest opening partnership in West Indies in Test cricket as Jaiswal also became first Indian opener to make a Test hundred on debut outside home.
The last Indian batter to score a Test century on debut was Shreyas Iyer in 2021 against New Zealand in Kanpur. Notably, Jaiswal’s opening partner, Rohit Sharma, had co-incidentally made a Test hundred on debut, also against West Indies, in 2013.
Jaiswal, though, is only the seventh Indian batter and the first in 13 years to score a Test hundred on debut away from home. Suresh Raina, who made 120 against Sri Lanka in 2010, is the last Indian batter to score a Test ton on debut outside India.
Before him, Shikhar Dhawan in 2013 and Prithvi Shaw in 2018 have scored centuries on Test debut for India as openers. Co-incidentally, the last three Indians to score a hundred on Test debut have been Mumbai players — Rohit, Shaw and Shreyas Iyer.
Jaiswal had played only 15 first-class games in his career before this Test, but averages over 80 in those with nine hundreds, including a stunning 265 in the second innings of the Duleep Trophy Final last year.
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