Shikhar Dhawan joins exclusive club with rapid century
Afghanistan were given a harsh introduction to Test cricket by Shikhar Dhawan, with the India opener smashing a whirlwind century before lunch on the opening day of the only Test at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday 14 June.
In the process, Dhawan became the first Indian and just the sixth player in the history of the game to hit a century in the first session of a Test. He took 87 balls to reach the landmark with 19 fours and three sixes. The last man to achieve the feat was David Warner just last year, but only four others have done it in close to 150 years of Test cricket and over 2300 matches.
Centurions before lunch on the opening day of a Test match
| Batsman | Match details |
| Victor Trumper (Aus) | 103* v England - Manchester, 1902 (final score 104) |
| Charlie Macartney (Aus) | 112* v England - Leeds, 1926 (final score 151) |
| Don Bradman (Aus) | 105* v England - Leeds, 1930 (final score 334) |
| Majid Khan (Pak) | 108* v New Zealand - Karachi, 1976 (final score 112) |
| David Warner (Aus) | 100* v Pakistan - Sydney, 2017 (final score 113) |
| Shikhar Dhawan (Ind) | 104* v Afghanistan - Bengaluru, 2018 (final score 107) |
Dhawan took a particular liking to his fellow Sunrisers Hyderabad teammate Rashid Khan with the leg-spinner going for 51 runs in the seven overs before the interval.
He was given a life on 23 when Afghanistan did not review a caught behind call off Wafadar, the teenaged right-arm pacer. Replays suggested there was indeed a faint outside edge which went unnoticed.
Ther was no looking back for Dhawan after that as he carted the spinners as well as the pacers with equal authority. He reached a half-century in just 47 deliveries and got to three figures shortly before the lunch break. This was his seventh century in Test cricket.