Most Awaited Indian Test Debuts
India has seen many players making their Test debuts in recent times. The number of debutants has particularly increased post the pandemic. India saw plenty of debuts in the last Border-Gavaskar trophy in 2020-21. The team ended up handing over debut caps to players who went in as net players. But historically there have been few players who have had to wait for a really long time before they ended up making their Test debuts. Let us look at the Most Awaited Indian Test Debuts in detail.
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We look at 6 such most awaited Indian Test debuts:
#6 Ajinkya Rahane
He didn’t have the greatest of years in Test cricket recently but Ajinkya Rahane was a wonderful servant to Indian cricket. He was one of those players who let his game do the talking. Rahane’s greatest moment in Tests came in the BGT 2020-21 when he led a young inexperienced Indian team to glory.
His century as a skipper in MCG remains one of the best captain’s innings of all time. Rahane though had to patiently wait to make his India debut. He made his first-class debut in 2007 and scored runs in buckets on the domestic circuit. But it took him 6 years to finally make his Test debut in 2013.
#5 Suresh Raina
He was part of India’s U-19 World Cup team in 2004. Suresh Raina made his ODI debut in 2005. He was in and out of the ODI team until 2008. It was post the first season of IPL wherein Raina became a permanent member of the ODI side. His great stint with CSK helped him cement a spot in the national side.
Raina though had to wait for another couple of years to make his Test debut in 2010. He went on to score a hundred on his debut against Sri Lanka. But Raina didn’t have the best of Test careers. He played his last Test in 2015 while he represented India in other formats till 2018.
#4 Shreyas Iyer
He made a splash in the domestic circuit in 2015. Shreyas Iyer started making waves for his style of batting in the Ranji Trophy. He was one of the few players who scored heavily yet briskly. There were calls for his inclusion in the Indian Test setup immediately. But Iyer first made it to the ODI side in 2017.
He had to wait for a couple of years to really own a spot in the playing XI in ODIs. But Iyer’s spin-playing ability made him a sure starter post the 2019 ODI World Cup. It took him another couple of years to make his Test debut in 2021. He has since then made himself invaluable for India in Tests.
#3 Mayank Agarwal
He first played a T20 first-class game back in 2010. Mayank Agarwal has since then gone on to be a big part of Karnataka’s journey. There were questions regarding his technique early on in his career but Agarwal kept persisting. He was one of those who didn’t really set the IPL on fire despite being a constant presence almost every year.
Agarwal though kept toiling hard in domestic cricket. He had a breakthrough season in 2017-18 wherein he almost piled up 1,000 runs in under a month. Agarwal earned his Test cap in Melbourne, in 2018. The wait was well worth it.
#2 Rohit Sharma
His wait to earn the Test call seemed endless. Rohit Sharma broke onto the scene in 2006 when he played in the U-19 World Cup. He was India’s first batsman to score a T20 hundred at any level of cricket. Sharma soon earned a national cap in the T20 World Cup in 2007.
He went on to be a regular part of the side in white ball cricket ever since. Sharma was all set to make his Test debut in 2010 before a freak injury ruled him out moments before the toss. He had to spend 3 more years in agony before finally making his debut in November 2013 against the West Indies.
#1 Suryakumar Yadav
He made his First class and List-A debut in 2010. Suryakumar Yadav has been among the regular names in the domestic circuit since. His style of play was not accepted easily during the early days of his career. Surya was seen as someone who was a rebel without a cause. He kept churning out runs both in FC and in the IPL.
Surya finally earned a national call for the T20I series against England in 2021. He is now the world’s number 1 ranked T20I batsman in the world. But Surya had to wait until 2023 to make his Test debut for the country against Australia in the first Test in Nagpur.
