Sarfaraz Khan, while on his way to a memorable debut knock of 62 against England, where he unfortunately ran out, also scored the second-fastest fifty on debut. He equalled Hardik Pandya's record by smashing a fifty in just 48 balls at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on February 15.
The record for the fastest half-century on debut for India sits with Yadvendra Singh, the Yuvraj of Patiala, who scored a 42-ball fifty against a touring England side in 1934.
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Coming out to bat after an emotional debut, where he was handed his India cap by Anil Kumble in the presence of father Naushad Khan and his wife Romana Zahoor, Sarfaraz took the attack to the opposition from the ball one in the third Test of the series.
Fastest fifties for India on debut in Test history | ||||
Player | Balls | Opposition | Ground | Year |
Yuvraj of Patiala | 42 | England | Chennai | 1934 |
Hardik Pandya | 48 | Sri Lanka | Galle | 2017 |
Sarfaraz Khan | 48 | England | Rajkot | 2024 |
Shikhar Dhawan | 50 | Australia | Mohali | 2013 |
Prithvi Shaw | 56 | West Indies | Rajkot | 2018 |
Sarfaraz hit the spinners by going down the ground, a shot Indian batters have rarely used against the inexperienced English spin attack. When the 26-year-old came to bat, Ravindra Jadeja, at the non-striker's end, was on 90. He remained on 90 even as Sarfaraz reached his maiden fifty.
The duo added 77 for the fifth wicket, and 62 of those runs came from Sarfraz's bat before he, unfortunately, ran out, as Jadeja wanted a quick single to get to his hundred while batting on 99.