BANGALORE, India: Shikhar Dhawan scored 104 not out off 91 balls and gave an attacking reception to Afghanistan in its maiden outing in test cricket on Thursday as India reached 158-0 at lunch on the opening day.
At the break, Murali Vijay was keeping him company with 41 not out off 72 balls.
Dhawan became the first Indian batsman to score a century before lunch on the opening day of a test match. Overall, he became the sixth batsman in test crickethistory to achieve this feat.
Australians Victor Trumper (versus England, 1902), Charles Macartney (versus England, 1921), Don Bradman (versus England, 1930), David Warner (versus Pakistan, 2017) and Pakistan’s Majid Khan (versus New Zealand, 1976) are the five batsmen before Dhawan to do so.
The previous best by an Indian batsman in a session on opening day of a test match was Virender Sehwag’s 99 against West Indies at St. Lucia in 2006.
This was after Yamin Ahmadzai (0-18) bowled Afghanistan’s first ball in test cricket. Both he and 18-year-old Wafadar (0-25) showed heart in their opening spells but didn’t have enough penetration to trouble the Indian openers.
Wafadar came closest to making history with Afghanistan’s first test wicket in the 9th over as there was a faint edge detected on replays off Dhawan. The visitors though didn’t opt for DRS after their loud appeal was turned down.
India led 62-0 after the first hour’s play with the half-century partnership coming off only 64 balls.
Star leg spinner Rashid Khan (0-51) came into the attack immediately after drinks but Dhawan took him for three fours in that very first over. In doing so, he reached his half-century off 47 balls, with 10 fours and a six.
Dhawan continued attacking the Afghanistan bowlers and hit another eight fours and two sixes en-route to his seventh test hundred off 87 balls.
His quick pace of scoring meant India’s 100 came off 119 balls and then 150 came up in only 156 balls.