Which player has scored the most runs in his debut Test series?
Every cricketer dreams of doing well in their debut Test series runs and show the world that they are ready for the real thing. Making your debut, especially in foreign conditions, can be a nerve-wracking moment for any player.
But throughout history, we have seen a handful players who proved their worth in their first Test series itself.
Shubman Gill is the latest player to join the list. He has looked assured in his batting on his first ever tour to Australia, making his debut in the second Test as an opener.
The Kolkata Knight Riders batsman led India's charge on the final day of the Brisbane Test with a brilliant 91. He finished the series with 259 runs at 51.80.
Who holds the record for the most Test runs in a debut series?
Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar holds the record for scoring the most runs in a debut Test series. The original 'little master' made his debut in the 1971 series against the mighty West Indies away from home. In a five-match Test series, Gavaskar played four games and scored a monstrous 774 runs at an average of 154.80.
India won the Test series 1-0 and unearthed a star in the form of Sunil Manohar Gavaskar. The Indian opener also managed a double hundred in the final Test of the series in Port of Spain. In eight innings, Gavaskar scored four hundreds and three fifties.
George Alphonso Headley from West Indies is the closest to Gavaskar in terms of most runs in a debut series. Headley scored 703 runs in a four-Test series against England in 1929-30.
Often referred to as the 'Black Bradman', Headley last played a Test for West Indies in 1954, almost at the age of 45. The right-handed batsman only played 22 Tests in his career but went on to score ten hundreds.
Apart from Alphonso Headley and Sunil Gavaskar, no other batsman in the history have scored 700 or more runs in their debut series.