Teenager Prithvi Shaw became the youngest Indian to score a century on debut in the first Test against West Indies in Rajkot on Thursday.
Shaw, who is 18 years and 329 days old, reached his hundred off just 99 deliveries in the second session on day one.
He becomes India’s second youngest century-maker after Sachin Tendulkar, who in 1990 was 17 years and 107 days when he scored 119 not out against in England in Manchester, but that was in his ninth Test match.
Youngest Test centurions
| Batsman | Age | Opposition, venue and year |
|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Ashraful (Bangladesh) | 17 years and 61 days | Sri Lanka in Colombo, 2001 |
| Mushtaq Mohammad (Pakistan) | 17 years and 78 days | India in Delhi, 1961 |
| Sachin Tendulkar (India) | 17 years and 107 days | England in Manchester, 1990 |
| Hamilton Masakadza (Zimbabwe) | 17 years and 352 days | West Indies in Harare, 2001 |
| Imran Nazir (Pakistan) | 18 years and 154 days | West Indies in Bridgetown, 2000 |
| Saleem Malik (Pakistan) | 18 years and 323 days | Sri Lanka in Karachi, 1982 |
| Prithvi Shaw (India) | 18 years and 329 days | West Indies in Rajkot, 2018 |
Shaw, a diminutive right-hander, reached the landmark with two runs off paceman Keemo Paul and punched his fist in the air as he was given a standing ovation by the home crowd.
Shaw is the seventh youngest international batsman to score his first Test century. He is also the third batsman after Shikhar Dhawan (85 balls) and Dwayne Smith (93) to hit his debut ton in under 100 balls.
Indian centurions on Test debut
| Batsman | Score | Opposition, venue and year |
|---|---|---|
| Lala Amarnath | 118 | England in Mumbai, 1933 |
| Deepak Shodhan | 110 | Pakistan in Kolkata, 1952 |
| AG Kripal Singh | 100* | New Zealand in Hyderabad, 1955 |
| Abbas Ali Baig | 112 | England in Manchester, 1959 |
| Hanumant Singh | 105 | England in Delhi, 1964 |
| Gundappa Viswanath | 137 | Australia in Kanpur, 1969 |
| Surinder Amarnath | 124 | New Zealand in Auckland, 1976 |
| Mohammad Azharuddin | 110 | England in Kolkata, 1984 |
| Pravin Amre | 103 | South Africa in Durban, 1992 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 131 | England at Lord's, 1996 |
| Virender Sehwag | 105 | South Africa in Bloemfontein, 2001 |
| Suresh Raina | 120 | Sri Lanka in Colombo, 2010 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 187 | Australia in Mohali, 2013 |
| Rohit Sharma | 177 | West Indies in Kolkata, 2013 |
| Prithvi Shaw | 134 | West Indies in Rajkot, 2018 |
Shaw was dismissed for 134 at the stroke of tea after playing a loose shot against leg spinner Devendra Bishoo. Skipper Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane were at the crease at tea, with India at 232/3.
With inputs from AFP
