Indian Players Who Hit Half-Century In Both Innings On Test Debut

A debut match for a cricketer is a very crucial game of his or her career. For a batsman, scoring a good knock in Test debut or ODI debut gives a good motivation to him. In a Test match, a batsman gets two chances to show his skills. A team bats for two innings and batsmen get a second chance to bag the limelight on the field. If a batsman fails to play a big knock in the 1^st innings, he can use the second innings to prove his worth. This is one of the crucial advantages for players in a Test match.

However, there are few incidents when a batsman excelled in both the innings of a Test match. There are few players who batted effectively in both the innings of the Test match that too during their Test debut. Here we take a look at three Indian players who smashed a fifty in both innings on their Test debut.

Dilawar Hussain

Former Indian cricketer Dilawar Hussain is the first batsman in this list. Hussain was a wicket-keeper batsman who played 3 Tests for India between 1934 to 1936. The right-handed batsman made his Test debut in January 1934 in a Test match against England. It was the 2nd Test match of the three-match series, which was played in Kolkata.

In his debut match, Dilawar Hussain smashed the fifties in both innings. In the first innings, he scored 59 runs while batting as an opener. In the 2nd innings, he scored 57 runs while batting at no.7 position. England were bowled out for 403 runs in the first innings. In response, India were all out for 247.

During the follow-on, India scored 237 runs. England had a target of 82 runs but they could only score 7-2 till the end of the day. As a result, the match ended in a draw. Hussain played 3 Tests for India in which he scored 254 runs with three half-centuries. In 57 First-class matches, he scored 2,394 runs with 4 centuries and 13 half-centuries.

Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar is another Indian cricketer who scored a fifty in both the innings of his Test debut. The right-handed batsman made his Test debut in March 1971 during India’s tour of the West Indies. Gavaskar made his debut in the 2nd Test. In the 1st innings, he scored 65 runs while batting as an opener. Later, he came up with another half-century in the 2nd innings with a 67-run knock.

West Indies scored 214/10 in the first innings. In response, India scored 352 before losing all of their wickets. West Indies were bowled out for 261 in the 2nd innings. India successfully chased the target of 124 in the second innings, winning the match by 7 wickets.

Gavaskar gained the limelight with his two half-centuries in his debut Test. He played for India from 1971 to 1987. The right-handed batsman scored 10,122 runs in 214 Test innings with 34 centuries and 45 half-centuries. In 108 ODIs, he piled up 3092 runs with 1 century and 27 half-centuries.

Shafali Verma

Indian woman cricketer Shafali Verma has become the third Indian player who hit a fifty in both the innings of her Test debut. She made her Test debut for India in the recent Test match against England. She scored 96 runs in the first innings and later scored 63 runs in the 2nd innings.

England women batted first in the match and scored 396/9 (d) in the 1st innings. India had a good opening start but a batting collapse restricted them to 231 in the first innings. However, they managed to evade a loss during the follow-on, scoring 344/8 till the end of the 4th day.  The match ended in a draw.