Yashasvi Jaiswal Creates History with Debut Test Century Away from Home
Yashasvi Jaiswal etched his name in the history books as he became the first-ever Indian opener to score a century on debut in a Test match away from home. The left-handed batsman, who received the Test cap from captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday, achieved this milestone on Day 2 of the first Test against West Indies at Windsor Park in Dominica. Jaiswal reached his century in the 70th over of India’s innings late on Thursday, taking a single off fellow debutant Alick Athanaze. It took him 215 balls to reach the landmark.
In total, Jaiswal became the 17th Indian player to score a century on Test debut and the third designated opener. However, he holds the distinction of being the first Indian opener to achieve this feat in his inaugural Test match played away from home. Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw had previously registered their debut Test centuries at Mohali and Rajkot against Australia and West Indies respectively.
Jaiswal joins an elite group of only five Indian cricketers who have scored a hundred on their Test debut while playing overseas. The first to accomplish this feat was Abbas Ali Baig against England in 1959. The others on this prestigious list are Surinder Amarnath at Auckland in 1976, Pravin Amre against South Africa in Durban in 1992, Sourav Ganguly against England at Lord’s in 1996, and Virender Sehwag against South Africa at Bloemfontein in 2001.
At the age of 21 years and 196 days, Jaiswal also became the fourth youngest Indian to score a century in his first Test match, following in the footsteps of Prithvi Shaw, Abbas Ali Baig, and Gundappa Viswanath.
Jaiswal’s celebration after reaching the century was exuberant. He removed his helmet, leaped in the air, and let out a loud cry of joy. The beaming smile on his face was met with a standing ovation from the entire Indian dressing room.
In a show of camaraderie, Jaiswal promptly made his way towards captain Rohit Sharma, who was positioned at the non-striker’s end and had a broad smile on his face. Rohit had also scored a century in his first Test, but it was against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata back in 2013. Together, Rohit and Jaiswal formed the highest opening partnership by an Indian pair in the Caribbean islands, putting the hosts in a commanding position after West Indies’ modest total of 150 runs.
Prior to Jaiswal, the most recent Indian to achieve a Test century on debut was Shreyas Iyer against New Zealand in 2021.
Jaiswal, who took some time to get off the mark on Day 1, has struck 11 fours in his innings so far. This innings has been relatively subdued compared to the explosive displays he has showcased in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Although he displayed a few moments of uncertainty on Day 1 when he attempted to attack off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall against the spin, his innings since then has been a testament to his patience and composure.
