When was the last time India played two debutants in a home Test?

The third Test of the ongoing five-match series between India and England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot saw Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan getting their international caps. With key players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer unavailable due to different reasons, India had to make some forced changes to the side too.

The last time two Indians made their debut in a home Test was on February 9, 2023, when India hosted Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy. KS Bharat and Suryakumar Yadav became the 304th and 305th Indians to represent India in the longest format of the game.

In the aforementioned Nagpur Test, Australia’s decision to bat first backfired when the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin wreaked havoc. Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with a five-wicket haul, while Ashwin picked up three wickets.

Courtesy of their efforts, the Australian side was bowled out in the 64th over, with a mere 177 runs on the board. While India posted 400 runs in their first innings, debutants Suryakumar Yadav (8) and KS Bharat (8) were dismissed cheaply in their maiden red-ball outing.

Skipper Rohit Sharma provided India with a dream start and notched up a magnificent century. Ravindra Jadeja (70), and Axar Patel (84) were the only other batters to play noteworthy knocks as the hosts took a lead of 223 runs.

The Indian spinners were at their best again in the second essay. The Australian batting unit suffered a terrible collapse as the team was dished out for a meager 91 runs. Ashwin stood out with the ball and picked up a five-wicket haul as India defeated Australia by an innings and 132 runs.

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Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan's first-class careers at a glance

Jurel and Sarfaraz, who became the 311th and 312th players to represent India in Tests, will be hoping to make the most of the opportunity and help the side register a memorable victory in the absence of prominent senior players.

Dhruv Jurel’s first-class career has been brief, but the wicketkeeper-batter has been impressive. He has 790 runs to his name from 15 matches, including five fifties and a century, averaging 46.47.

Sarfaraz Khan’s debut was long due and Indian fans had been waiting for the Mumbai batter to receive his call-up. The stylish right-hand batter has scored 3912 runs in the 45 first-class matches that he has played so far and has an impressive average of 69.85.

Sarfaraz’s conversion ratio in domestic red-ball cricket has been terrific. He has notched up 11 half-centuries and 14 centuries, which strengthened his case for an India call-up.