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There have been 45 Test matches played this year. That includes the recently concluded Australia-England third Ashes Test in Melbourne and the ongoing India-South Africa first Test in Centurion. Only eight of these completed Tests ended in draws, which is a great advert for Test cricket.
While some players take time to find their feet in international cricket, there are few who make an immediate impact in their first series. A few players who made their Test debut in 2021 made an immediate impact. Here is a look at five such players:
#1 Axar Patel
Axar Patel has had an incredible 2021. In his debut Test series against England, he picked up 27 wickets in three Tests at an average of 10.59 and an astonishing strike rate of 28.37. He played a key role in India's 3-1 triumph over the visiting English team in February- March 2021. He picked up four five-wicket hauls in the series.
He followed up the home series against England with an impressive home series against New Zealand, picking up nine wickets in two Tests at an average of 15.67.
Overall, Patel has had an incredible 2021, picking up 36 wickets in five Tests at an average of 11.86. He has had a decent batting average lower down the order too, scoring 179 runs at an average of 29.83 with one half-century.
Patel has played all five Tests in India. So it will be interesting to see how he performs when he gets the opportunity to play overseas.
#2 Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer made an immediate impact on his Test debut against New Zealand. He was named the Man of the Match in his debut Test at Green Park in Kanpur. Iyer scored 105 in the first innings and 65 in the second, dominating the Kiwi bowling.
In two Tests and four innings, Iyer has scored 202 runs at an average of 58.55. He looked at home in the longest format of the game, and could be a key part of the Indian middle order in the next decade or so.
#3 Praveen Jayawickrama
Praveen Jayawickrama made his Test debut against Bangladesh in April 2021, and picked up six wickets in the very first innings he bowled.
He became the fifth Sri Lankan bowler to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut. He picked up another five wickets in the second innings to become the first Sri Lankan to pick up a ten-wicket haul in his first Test.
Jayawickrama played two more Tests in 2021 against West Indies, picking up seven wickets. He has 18 wickets in three Tests at an average of 18.22. He is an asset for Sri Lanka, especially in home conditions. It remains to be seen if he can replicate his bowling exploits abroad.
#4 Devon Conway
Devon Conway played a key role in New Zealand's success in England in the summer of 2021. He scored a double century on debut (200 off 347 balls) at Lord's to announce his arrival on the big stage.
He made a key 80 in the second Test against England in Edgbaston, opening the batting, and was a key player in New Zealand's win in the second Test.
In the final of the World Test Championship against India, he made an impressive half-century in the first innings. Conway helped New Zealand take a crucial lead in that game.
Conway has played three Tests and six innings in Tests, averaging 63.17. He seems to have a sound technique, and could be New Zealand's Test opener for the next few years.
#5 Kyle Mayers
Kyle Mayers made an immediate impact in Test cricket. West Indies were chasing a daunting target of 395 against Bangladesh in the second Test. He came in to bat when the West Indies were struggling, having lost three wickets for just 59 runs.
The left-hander scored a brilliant unbeaten 210 off just 310 deliveries, hitting 20 boundaries and seven sixes. In the process, he became only the sixth player in Test history to score a double century in the fourth innings. The target of 395 chased down by the West Indies is the highest in the subcontinent.
Kyle Mayers has played ten Tests in 2021, scoring 636 runs at an average of 35.33. He has also picked up 13 wickets at an average of 25.15. He is a special talent, and has the potential to be a leading all-rounder for the West Indies in Test cricket.
