7 Indians who scored a double century on the first-class debut
First-class cricket is a bridge between amateur cricket and the international level. Some cricketers cross the bridge with ease, and some fail to walk across. While a noted few take such a gigantic first step that they leave a deep imprint. Madhya Pradesh’s Ajay Rohera did something similar in the Ranji Trophy as he became only the seventh Indian batsman to hit a double century on debut.
Ranji Trophy is India’s premier domestic first-class competition. It has been contested since 1934 and it has gone under numerous transformations over the years. The established records, however, have and will stand the test of time.
Scoring a century in your debut first-class game is a special feeling that many talented cricketers have enjoyed. However, only seven Indian batsmen have registered a double century in their first-ever first-class match. Here is the list of all seven batsmen who crossed the mark of 200 runs in their debut game:
#7. Gundappa Vishwanath - 230 (Mysore/Karnataka)
Vishwanath was India’s premier Test batsman whose batting was considered to be artistic. His timing and strokeplay were described as poetry in motion. In his 14-year long career, the Karnataka batsman featured in 91 Tests and scored 6090 runs for India which included 14 centuries.
Fondly known as ‘Vishy’, the right-hander made his first-class debut at the age of 19. Playing for Mysore (Now Karnataka) against Andhra Pradesh at Vijayawada in the 1968-69 season of Ranji Trophy, Vishwanath strode out to the pitch early as they lost their openers soon. Taking full charge, the debutant amassed 230 runs before he was out LBW. Mysore was all out for 460 and dismissed Andhra for only 181 runs in the first innings. The three-day affair ultimately ended in a draw.
Vishwanath, of course, went on to become a legend in Indian cricket. He crunched a century on his Test debut against Australia at Kanpur in 1969 thus completing a double of a century on both first-class and Test debut. He was the first Indian batsman to do so.