When was the last time two Indians made their debut in the same Test match?

Hosts India have handed debut caps to middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan and keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel for the third Test against England at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot, which began on Thursday, February 15. Sarfaraz got his opportunity with KL Rahul failing to recover from his quadriceps strain, while Jurel has replaced KS Bharat, who has been struggling with the bat in Test cricket.

The last instance of two Indians making their Test debut in the same match was registered in July 2023 during the India vs West Indies Test at Windsor Park in Roseau, Dominica. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and keeper-batter Ishan Kishan made their Test debuts in that match.

Jaiswal scored a magnificent hundred on his Test debut, hammering 171 off 387 balls with the aid of 16 fours and a six. The left-hander featured in an impressive opening stand of 229 with skipper Rohit Sharma, who scored 103 off 221 balls.

The other debutant, Kishan, took two catches behind the stumps in the first innings, while he scored 1* off 20 as India declared their first innings on 421/5. The visitors went on to win the Test by an innings and 141 runs. Jaiswal was named Player of the Match for his 171 on debut. He scored 57 & 38 in the second Test in Port of Spain, while Kishan contributed 25 & 52*.

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Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel’s first-class record ahead of their Test debut

Coming back to the ongoing India-England Test in Rajkot, both debutants Sarfaraz and Jurel will be keen to grab their opportunities.

The former has a terrific record in first-class cricket. In 45 matches, the Mumbai batter has scored 3,912 runs at an average of 69.85, with 14 hundreds and 11 fifties. The right-handed batter also impressed for India A in the two unofficial Tests against England Lions, registering scores of 4, 55 & 161.

Uttar Pradesh keeper-batter Jurel (23) has featured in 15 first-class matches so far, scoring 790 runs at an average of 46.47. He has one hundred and five half-centuries to his credit.

The keeper-batter scored a defiant 69 off 166 balls for India A against South Africa A in the second unofficial Test in Benoni. Jurel also contributed 50 off 38 deliveries in the two-day tour match for India A against England Lions in Ahmedabad last month.