Various batsmen have made scintillating debuts in test cricket. We have had a lot of batsmen even in this century, notching up big scores in their test debut. We will now look at the highest scores in test debut from 2001.
10. Shaun Marsh (2011)
Australia toured Sri Lanka for a three-match series. In the second match, the Australian batsman Shaun Marsh made his debut. Sri Lanka batted first and scored 174. Australia was at 116-3, when Michael Hussey joined hands with Shaun Marsh. Both of them together had a partnership of 258 runs, and each got to their centuries. The game ended up as a draw. Shaun Marsh scored 141 runs in this innings.
9. Michael Clarke (2004)
Michael Clarke’s debut performance was one of the best performances of his career. This game was the first one of the 2004 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India. Australia batted first. The Australian batsmen Adam Gilchrist and Michael Clarke scored a century each. It got Australia to 474. India could never recover from this, as Australia won the match by 217 runs. Michael Clarke scored 151 runs in this innings.
8. Fawad Alam (2009)
Fawad Alam is a Pakistani batsman who debuted in an away test against Sri Lanka. In his debut match, Pakistan batted first. They got bundled out for just 90. They ended up conceding a first innings lead of 150 runs. In the next innings, Alam opened the batting, scored a massive century, and was playing the lone man fighting, as Pakistan got all out for 320, which eventually proved insufficient. Fawad Alam scored 168 runs in this innings.
7. Yasir Hameed (2003)
This game was a part of the Bangladesh tour of Pakistan. The debutant Yasir Hameed scored twin centuries. Pakistan bowled first. They conceded 288. After Pakistan set out to bat, Hameed scored a massive century, eventually leading them to victory. Yasir Hameed scored 170 runs in this innings.
6. Hamish Rutherford (2013)
Hamish Rutherford is from New Zealand, and he made his debut in a home game against England. The pitch was pretty much conducive for run scoring. During New Zealand’s batting, Rutherford opened the batting. He scored over 170. New Zealand made 460, and the game eventually was a draw. Hamish Rutherford scored 171 runs in this innings.
5. Rohit Sharma (2013)
Rohit Sharma made his test debut in the first match of the West Indies tour of India. India bowled first, and conceded 234. In reply, however, India was stuttering at 83-5, which soon got to 156-6. However, from there, Rohit and Ravichandran Ashwin made a massive partnership. It was worth 280 runs. The partnership shifted the game in favor of the Indian team. Both of them got to their respective centuries. Eventually, India won the match by an innings and 51 runs. Rohit Sharma scored 177 runs in this innings.
4. Shikhar Dhawan (2013)
Shikhar Dhawan made his debut in the third match of the 2013 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Indian team was dominant against Australia in the series, and Dhawan helped extend India’s dominance. He scored rapidly, going at more than run-a-ball, for a massive century. India won this match and got a 3-0 lead in the series, hence, winning the series. Shikhar Dhawan scored 187 runs in this innings.
3. Devon Conway (2021)
Devon Conway had a brilliant debut, in his test career. He got a double hundred at the Lord’s, which is widely regarded as the home of cricket. More than half of New Zealand’s runs in the first innings were scored by Conway, and his score was the key reason why New Zealand was able to set a significant score as the target in the final innings. The game got drawn. Devon Conway scored 200 runs in this innings.
2. Kyle Mayers (2021)
West Indies had to chase a significantly massive target of 395 in the first test of the West Indies tour of Bangladesh. The debutant Kyle Mayers scored an excellent double hundred during the chase. His fellow debutant, Nkrumah Bonner, and Mayers had a partnership worth 216 runs. West Indies eventually won the game by three wickets. Kyle Mayers scored 210 not out in this innings.
1. Jacques Rudolph (2003)
This game was the first test of the South Africa tour of Bangladesh. Bangladesh batted first and scored 173. In reply, South Africa was 41-2. After that, though, South Africa displayed total dominance. The batsmen, Boeta Dippenaar and Jacques Rudolph, the debutant, had an unbeaten partnership worth 429 runs. This eventually led to South Africa winning the match by an innings and 60 runs. Jacques Rudolph scored 222, not out, in this innings.
