Every cricketer dreams about playing for their nation in a big stadium one day. They work hard day in and day out to fulfill this dream. Finally, when their hard work is recognized, it is a moment of absolute joy and happiness. Making a debut for one’s nation is not only a matter of joy but pressure as well. We’ve seen many cricketers who’ve failed to reach the expectation on their debut, and there are a few who grabbed the opportunity and rose to the occasion. Test cricket is a format where every cricketer thrives to succeed, and having an incredible debut in this format is a dream for many. Let’s have a look at the Top 10 test debuts.

10. Tim Southee

Tim Southee being one of the successful test bowlers of the generation, had a great start to his Test career in a series against England. The right-arm medium pacer scalped five wickets in an inning, which included England’s finest batsmen, Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen. Not to forget, he also added valuable 77 runs with the bat in the second inning, which made this a complete all-around debut.

9. Kane Williamson

After a very good run of form in the limited-overs format, Kane was called up to the Test squad for the series against India. Living up to the expectations, Kane scored a brilliant 131 against India in the sub-continent. The way he tackled the spinners and adapted to the conditions was commendable. His wide range of shots has impressed many around the world.

8. Sourav Ganguly

Dada made his debut in 1996 with an incredible 131 runs with the bat. This innings marked the rise of Sourav Ganguly in the test format. Dada showed true grit and determination against the mighty England attack. He helped India to draw the match at the Lord’s stadium. Ganguly recalls this inning as ‘Life’s best moment.’

7. Alastair Cook

Cook is considered one of the best British test batsmen.  Alastair made his debut in 2006 against India. He announced his arrival with a 60 in the first innings. Cook channeled his good run of form in the second innings, where he scored a magnificent 104. Watching him bat in the longer format is pure bliss, and he ended his test career as the highest run-scorer in test format for England.

6. Umar Akmal

The Pakistani wicket-keeper batsman made his debut with two well-crafted knocks. He scored an unbeaten 129 runs in the first innings. He continued his exploits by hammering a 75 in the second innings. However, Akmal failed to reach greater heights after an incredible debut.

5. Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar made his test debut against Australia in Mohali, 2013. Shikhar scored a well-compiled 187, which amazed many people all over the world. He continued his white-ball form in test cricket and thrashed the fastest century on his test debut. He played brilliantly against the fierce Aussie bowling attack.

4. Devon Conway

Devon Conway had a fairy tale start to his Test career. he took test cricket by storm, scoring a double ton on his debut against England. He played an excellent knock, blocking the good deliveries solidly and punishing the loose deliveries. He was the first batsman to score 200 runs in England.

3. Jacques Rudolph

Jacques Rudolph is a Proteas left-handed batsman who made his debut in 2003. Although not a popular name in cricket, he had an incredible debut. Rudolph unleashed a flurry of boundaries and a couple of sixes to amass a massive score of 222 runs, the highest score by a debutant in Test cricket.

2. Narendra Hirwani

Narendra had a debut, which every bowler dreams of. He received his test cap in 1992 at Madras against the mighty West Indies. He scalped 16 wickets, 8 in each innings, which included the likes of Sir Viv Richards. This debut is ranked second on our list.

1. Lawrence Rowe

Lawrence Rowe started his career on a high note by scoring an extraordinary 214 runs in the first innings. He continued his aggression in the second innings by 100*. Rowe made his debut against the Blackcaps back in 1972 at Sabina Park, his home ground. He’s the first player to score a double century and a ton in the same test match. Rowe is one of cricket’s forgotten heroes, but his debut will continue to be the best.