3 batsmen who scored more than 300 runs in their first Test century, top score of their career, Indian player included

New Delhi. There have been some occasions in international cricket when a batsman played a ‘long’ innings during his/her first Test century. he/she scored so big that he/she could never cross this ‘Himalaya’ of runs in his/her entire career. This was his/her top score in Test career. In the 147-year history of Test cricket, so far 3 batsmen have achieved the feat of playing an innings of more than 300 runs during their first Test century. This includes India’s Karun Nair who played an unbeaten innings of 303 runs against England in Bengaluru in December 2016. Nair scored a triple century in the third match of his/her Test career and he/she has only 6 Tests to his/her credit. After the unbeaten 303 runs, his/her second highest score in Test is 26 runs.

Apart from Karun Nair, West Indies’ Sir Garry Sobers and Australia’s Robert Bedley Simpson aka Bob Simpson also scored more than 300 runs in their first Test century. Unlike Karun, both these players played as all-rounders and also contributed significantly to the team through bowling. Sobers, who is counted among the best all-rounders in Tests, has 8032 runs and 235 wickets to his/her name with the help of 26 centuries.

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A look at the innings of batsmen who scored 300+ runs during their first Test century

Sobers scored 365* against Pakistan in 1958

multi-talented person gary sobers he/she used to bat with left hand. Apart from medium pace bowling with left hand, he/she was also skilled in finger and wrist spin bowling. he/she was the first to achieve the feat of hitting sixes on 6 consecutive balls in an over in first class cricket. Born in Barbados, Sobers made his/her Test debut in Kingston in 1954 at the age of 18. he/she could not do anything special in batting in this Test but took 4 wickets for 75 runs in England’s only innings. he/she had to wait for 16 Tests for his/her first Test century.

In February 1958, in the 17th Test of his/her career in Kingston, Sobers surprised everyone by batting for 614 minutes against Pakistan. In reply to Pakistan’s 328 runs in the first innings, West Indies scored a huge 790 runs for three wickets (innings declared) which included Sobers’ unbeaten 365 (38 fours) and Conrad Hunte’s 260 runs. Sobers and Hunte had a partnership of 446 runs for the second wicket during this period. In a career of 93 Tests, Sobers scored 25 more centuries after this but could never surpass the score of his/her first Test century. his/her second highest Test score was 226 runs against England. his/her 26 Test centuries included one triple and one double century.

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Simpson’s first century was also above 300 runs

Bob Simpson played 62 Tests from 1957 to 1978 as a right-handed batsman and leg-break bowler. Simpson, who scored a half-century in his/her debut Test in December 1957, had to wait till the 29th match for his/her first century. Even before this century, he/she had got the chance to reach triple figures on a few occasions, but on two occasions he/she got out in the nervous nineties (92 and 91) and once on 85 runs. However, he/she ended this wait by playing a ‘giant’ innings of 311 runs against England in the 30th Test. In the Manchester Test of July 1964, Simpson scored 311 runs facing 743 balls, which included 23 fours and a six. In reply to Australia’s score of 656/8 (innings declared) in the Test, England scored 611 runs in the first innings and the match was a dull draw. Simpson scored 10 centuries in his/her Test career in which his/her highest score was 311 runs against Manchester. Apart from a triple century, he/she also scored two double centuries. Simpson also has 71 wickets to his/her name in Test cricket.

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Nair could play only 3 Tests after scoring a triple century
Karun Nair was such an unlucky batsman who despite scoring a triple century in the third Test of his/her career, has been able to play only 6 Tests till now. After being dropped from the Test team, he/she is still waiting for his/her comeback but with the passage of time his/her chances are diminishing. Nair, who made his/her Test debut against England in Mohali in November 2016, was run out after scoring 4 runs in the first innings and did not get a chance to bat in the second innings. After losing his/her wicket for 13 runs in the only innings of the second Test in Mumbai, he/she gave a tough time to the England bowlers in the third Test in Chennai and spent 565 minutes on the wicket and scored an unbeaten 303 runs with the help of 32 fours and four sixes in 381 balls. If a batsman scores a triple century in his/her third Test, then his/her talent needs to be preserved but after scoring 23 and 5 runs in the next two Tests, Nair was forgotten by the selectors and he/she could never play for India again.

he/she could play only seven innings in six Tests in which he/she scored 374 runs at an average of 62.33 with a top score of 303* while remaining unbeaten once. After scoring 690 runs in 10 matches for Vidarbha in the Ranji season 2023-24 and 249 runs in three matches for Northamptonshire in the English County, Nair is hoping to return to Team India’s red ball team but looking at the current team combination, his/her path is very difficult.

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Apart from these three batsmen, Reginald Foster (287), Brian Lara (277), Zaheer Abbas (274), Jack Crowley (267), Rohan Kanhai (256), Derrick McGlaw (255*), Wally Hammond (251) and Fouad Becks (250) have also scored 250 runs or more while scoring their first Test century. Apart from Lara and Hammond, this was the highest score for Foster, Zaheer Abbas, Kohli (still playing Test cricket), Kanhai, McGlaw and Becks.

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