Stats and numbers from Mayank Agarwal’s Test debut against Australia in Melbourne

Mayank Agarwal’s wait for donning the Indian jersey came to an end on Wednesday when the opener from Karnataka made his Test debut. Agarwal got an opportunity to bat for India for the first time that too in front of a 60,000+ Boxing Day crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He started positively before grinding down for two sessions. The 27-year-old made 76 off 161 balls with eight fours and a six before getting out on the last ball before the Tea interval.

Here are some of the stats and numbers from Mayank Agarwal’s debut Test innings:

1 – Mayank Agarwal’s 76 is now the highest individual score by an Indian on Test debut in Australia. Among the 18 players before him to make their debut down under, only Dattu Phadkar scored a fifty. He scored 51 in the 1947 Sydney Test against the hosts.

2 – Mayank is only the 2nd Indian to open the innings in Australia on Test debut. Amir Elahi opened in India’s second innings during the 1947 Sydney Test after batting at No.10 in the first essay.

Mayank is only the second Indian in the last 15 years to open the innings on debut in an away Test. Opener Abhinav Mukund made his Test debut in 2011 in the Caribbean.

3 – Agarwal became the first Indian to score fifty on debut in any Boxing Day Test match. Hrishikesh Kanitkar made 45 in the 4th innings of the 1999 Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

Kanitkar and KL Rahul in 2014 are the other Indians to make their debut in a Boxing Day Test before Mayank. All these three players’ debut came against Australia in Melbourne only.

76 – The 76-run knock by Mayank is the joint 2nd highest score by a visiting player on Test debut at the MCG. Sir Jack Hobbs scored 83 for England in 1908 while Roy Fredericks scored 76 for the Windies in 1968 during their respective debuts at the MCG.

76 – Mayank’s 76-run knock is the 2nd highest individual score by an Indian opener in his Test debut outside India. He stands only behind Sudhir Naik who made 77 in India’s second innings of the 1974 Birmingham Test against England after scoring four in the first innings.

Overall, Mayank’s 76 is the 5th highest individual score by an Indian opener on Test debut. Only Shikhar Dhawan (187) in 2013 and Prithvi Shaw (134) have scored centuries while opening the innings on debut for India.

1993 – Mayank is only the 15th visiting player to make his Test debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the first one since Gary Kirsten in the 1993 Boxing Day Test.

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