Prithvi Shaw made history on Thursday by becoming the youngest Indian to score a Test century on debut. Shaw, at 18 years and 329 days, reached the historic three-figure mark off just 99 balls against the Windies on Day 1 of the opening Test at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. The previous record for the youngest half-centurion for India on debut was held by Abbas Ali Baig, who at the age of 20 years 131 days, scored a half-century against England in Manchester in 1959.
Meanwhile, Prithvi is also the third-fastest centurion on Test debut. India’s southpaw Shikhar Dhawan remains the fastest in this club with an 85-ball hundred against Australia in 2013 at the IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali. And West Indian cricketer Dwayne Smith (93 deliveries) pulled off the same feat against South Africa in Cape Town in 2004.
Prithvi, however, has also become the seventh-youngest Test centurion. Back in 2001, Bangladesh’s Mohammad Ashraful (17 years, 61 days) became the youngest ever to achieve this feat against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Next on the list is Pakistan’s Mushtaq Mohammad (17 years, 78 days), who pulled this off back in 1961 against India in Delhi. Sachin Tendulkar (17 years, 78 days), Zimbabwe’s Hamilton Masakadza (17 years, 352 days), Pakistan’s Imran Nazir (18 years, 154 days) and Saleem Malik (18 years, 323 days) are the rest of the batsmen in this elite club.
