Which cricketer has scored the most fifties in his debut Test series?
Young Indian opener Shubman Gill continued his impressive debut Test series by notching up his second half-century of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Gill was dismissed for a brilliant 91 off 146 balls as India set about chasing 328 on the final day of the Gabba Test. The youngster hit eight fours and two sixes in his memorable innings before falling to the guile of Nathan Lyon.
Shubman Gill, who scored exactly 50 in the first innings of the Sydney Test, ended the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a tally of 259 runs at an excellent average of 51.80.
Owing to the 21-year-old's splendid batting, India were 132 for 2 at Drinks during the second session of the final day’s play.
While scoring two fifties in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy is an excellent achievement for Gill, there are players who have registered more than two half-centuries in their debut Test series.
Most fifties in a debut Test series
Three players have scored four half-centuries in their debut Test series. Saeed Ahmed of Pakistan hammered four fifties against the West Indies in 1957/58. Ahmed played five Tests in the Caribbean, and ended up scoring 508 runs at an average of 56.44. Besides the four half-centuries, he also scored a hundred.
England’s David Steele also registered four half-centuries in his debut Test series, at home against Australia in 1975. He played three Tests and scored 365 runs at an average of 60.83, and a best of 92.
Bruce Laird of Australia is the third cricketer to have notched up four fifties in his debut Test series. He achieved the feat against West Indies at home in the 1979-80 series. Laird scored 340 runs in three Tests at an average of 56.66 with a best of 92.
For the record, Sunil Gavaskar scored three fifties to go with his four hundreds in his blockbuster debut Test series in West Indies. He ended up hammering a record 774 runs in the series.