7 Indians who scored a double century on the first-class debut

#5. Anshuman Pandey - 209 not out (Madhya Pradesh)

Amongst all the first-class debutants who scored a double century, Anshuman Pandey’s case remains the most curious. The wonder boy played only one season of first-class cricket after beginning with a stellar knock. The right-handed opening batsman was selected for the State under-19 team at the tender age of 16. Soon he received a call-up for the State senior team as well.

Anshuman Pandey opened the innings for Madhya Pradesh against Uttar Pradesh at Jayanti Stadium, Bhilai (then part of Madhya Pradesh) in the 1995-96 Ranji Trophy season. He was 80 not out by the end of day one. Next day, Pandey celebrated the milestone of 200 runs and the team declared straightaway.

After enjoying such a dazzling start, Pandey completely failed to sustain his form. In the following ten innings, he gathered only 95 runs with the highest score of 24. The dismal performance proved career-ending for the 20-year-old batsman and he disappeared from the scene never to return.