There’s no doubt that captaincy carries with it a set of expectations. And if it is your first time leading, there is no doubt that the pressure is even more intense.
From the point of view of a captain, the team’s performance is the most important thing but one can not overlook his personal performance, either in batting or bowling. So, a few batsmen proved their intention of leading by example right in their first Test match as captains.
These batters in question not only played but also made centuries in their debut Test match as captains, thus making their presence felt.
On this note, we will see the Indian cricketers who hit hundreds on their first Test captaincy.
Indian Players With 100 On Captaincy Debut
| No. | Player | Score | Opponent | Venue / Series | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vijay Hazare | 164* | England | Delhi, 1951/52 Series | 1951 |
| 2 | Sunil Gavaskar | 116 | New Zealand | Auckland Test | 1976 |
| 3 | Dilip Vengsarkar | 102 | West Indies | Delhi Test | 1987 |
| 4 | Virat Kohli | 115 & 141 | Australia | Adelaide Test | 2014 |
| 5 | Shubman Gill | 147 | England | (Venue unspecified) | 2025 |
1. Vijay Hazare – 164* Vs England, 1951
The top name in this list is that of Vijay Hazare. He was a giant in Indian first-class cricket.
Hazare’s Test debut was a year prior to India’s independence but in 1951 he was the one who first led the team. This was in Delhi, the first Test of the historic 1951/52 series against England.
As India was already two wickets down for just 64 runs, Hazare took the responsibility and played a superbly controlled innings of 164 not out. His score of 164 is still the highest ever by an Indian in Test captaincy debut.
With Hazare’s contribution India declared at 418 for six and took the lead in the first innings. The match resulted in a draw but India went on to win their first Test under Hazare’s captaincy in Chennai.
2. Sunil Gavaskar – 116 Vs New Zealand, 1976
Nearly 24 years later, Sunil Gavaskar joined Hazare in this exclusive club. Although Gavaskar had already established his skill as a batter he started his reign as a captain with a match-defining hundred.
Gavaskar opened the innings against New Zealand in Auckland; alas, he lost his partner very quickly. This must have added to the pressure he was under.
But, Gavaskar was not the man to bow down, he came out with flying colors. He helped himself to 116 runs and thus aided India in reaching 414 and sharing the lead which ultimately turned into victory.
3. Dilip Vengsarkar – 102 vs West Indies, 1987
Dilip Vengsarkar, who made his first-class cricket entry in the Gavaskar’s debut captaincy match in 1976, would eventually repeat Gavaskar’s greatness 11 years later.
Vengsarkar had taken over the captaincy from Kapil Dev, who had just retired, in late 1987. His first captaincy series was against the invincible West Indies.
In their first innings, India got bowled out for a meager 75. But then, India staged a comeback in the second innings, led by Vengsarkar’s century.
He reached the 102 mark and thereby helped India take a lead of 276 runs. But, the efforts put in by Vengsarkar could not prevent the loss of India.
4. Virat Kohli – 115 & 141 vs Australia, 2014
Virat Kohli is, without a doubt, the best Test captain that India has ever produced. And his start as captain of the team gave an idea of his mentality.
Though Kohli had not yet become the exclusive Test captain, he behaved like a responsible leader. Unlike the other captains on this list, Kohli scored two hundreds against the Australia in Adelaide.
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He played a captain’s innings of 115 to lead the fightback of India in the first innings. And, in a 364-run chase, he made 141 when most of the batsmen were unable to score big.
Though India could not reach the target, Kohli’s centuries showed his zeal to fight even the toughest of situations.
5. Shubman Gill – 147 vs England, 2025
Shubman Gill has made an entry on this list recently. He was doubted for his captaincy in the longer format, but he proved everyone wrong.
After the team lost the first wicket at the score of 92, Gill played a superb inning against the bowlers of England. He scored 147 runs, which included 19 fours and a six.
Gill’s innings made the critics shut their mouths as he responded to them in a lavish manner on his Test captaincy debut.
