The fast and bouncy Australian pitches often pose a challenge in front of the visiting batters. The host’s bowlers extract good bounce and pace to trouble batters with the red ball.
Many Indian batters have struggled to score runs down under against potent bowling attacks. But a few showed resilience at a young age to smash big knocks during India’s Test tours of Australia.
Here are the five Indian batters who scored a Test century at a young age in Australia.
5. KL Rahul | 22 Years and 263 Days, Sydney 2015
KL Rahul has been a saviour for India on many occasions in away Test matches. And he showed a glimpse of it in his career’s second Test in Sydney.
The right-hander received his Test cap in the Boxing Day Test on the 2014-15 Australia tour, but he had a poor outing, getting out in single digits in both innings. But Rahul turned around tables quickly, smashing his maiden Test ton in the next match.
In reply to Australia’s 572/7, Rahul opened along with Murali Vijay. But Vijay was back in the dugout on the third delivery.
Then Rahul stabilised India’s innings with a 97-run second-wicket stand with Rohit Sharma, followed by a 141-run partnership with Virat Kohli. In the meantime, the Karnataka batter reached his hundred with a four at the age of 22 years and 263 days.
Rahul’s 110-run knock helped India muster 475 in their first innings, with the Sydney Test eventually ending in a draw.
4. Dattu Phadkar | 22 Years and 42 Days, Adelaide 1948
Dattu Phadkar is fourth on the list as he smacked a hundred in what was India’s first-ever Test tour down under in 1947-48. Like Rahul, the all-rounder also made his Test debut in Australia.
And Phadkar impressed with two fifties in his first two Tests before he got to the three-digit figures in the Adelaide Test. Australia put up a mammoth 674 runs in the first innings, thanks to Don Bradman (201), Lindsay Hassett (198*), and Sid Barnes (112).
While responding to that huge total, India’s top order struggled against the Australian bowling attack. But then Phadkar accompanied Vijay Hazare for a 188-run stand, taking India from 133/5 to 321/6.
Phadkar lost Hazare, but he cruised to his century at the age of 22 years and 42 days. He scored 123 runs from 284 balls, including 15 boundaries.
3. Nitish Kumar Reddy | 21 Years and 214 Days, Melbourne 2024
Nitish Kumar Reddy is the third-youngest Indian batter to score a Test ton down under. A month into his Test career after making his debut in Perth, the all-rounder racked up his maiden hundred at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Playing in his fourth Test, Reddy showed the proper temperament to save India from conceding a big deficit in the first innings. He walked in at 191 for six, with India on the cusp of conceding a follow-on.
But the Andhra youngster held on to one end while building a 127-run stand with Washington Sundar. Reddy’s march to the hundred was quite dramatic, as he spent some time in the nervous nineties before completing the milestone with a four.
At the start of the Boxing Day Test, he was 21 years and 214 days old. Reddy’s knock helped India avoid follow-on as he finished day three with an unbeaten 105.
2. Rishabh Pant | 21 Years and 91 Days, Sydney 2019
Rishabh Pant is perhaps the most exciting batter to play Test cricket for India. And he showed it on his first Australian tour in 2018-19.
After an impressive start to his Test career in 2018, the keeper-batter started 2019 in a rocking way. Heading into the Sydney Test, India were leading the series by 2-1.
India won the toss and chose to bat first on a wonderful batting track. The Men in Blue were cruising at 329 for five when Pant came to bat at No. 7.
The left-hand batter built an 89-run partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara before a double-hundred stand with Ravindra Jadeja. Meanwhile, Pant took 137 balls to score his century at the age of 21 years and 91 days, making him the second-youngest Indian to the landmark in Australia. He also became the first Indian keeper-batter to hammer a Test ton down under.
Pant remained unbeaten on 159 off 189 balls, helping India declare on 622 and later draw the match to register their first Test series win down under.
1. Sachin Tendulkar | 18 Years and 253 Days, Sydney 1992
There are countless records Sachin Tendulkar holds in cricket, and this is one of them. The Master Blaster is the youngest-ever Indian batter to score a Test century in Australia at the age of 18 years and 253 days.
In fact, he is the youngest among visiting batters to cross the triple-digit figures down under. He is also one of only six visiting teenagers to get a ton in Australia.
Playing in his third Test in Australia, Tendulkar showed a lot of maturity for a batter of his age. He batted at No. 6 and stitched a 196-run fifth-wicket partnership with Ravi Shastri.
After Shastri departed with a well-made 206, the young Mumbai batter stretched India’s total from 397 to 483 with the lower-order batters. Thanks to his unbeaten 148-run effort, India took a lead, though the match ended in a draw.
Read Next | The History of Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Leave a Reply