Keaton Jennings became just the 19th England batsman to score a century on Test debut after reaching three figures in the first innings of the fourth Test against India in Mumbai on Thursday.
The 24-year-old is in illustrious company, joining a list that includes WG Grace, Graham Thorpe, Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott.
Jennings is the son of former South Africa coach Ray Jennings and captained the country at Under-19 level – against England in a 2011 ODI series, which South Africa won 4-2. His mother is from Sunderland, however, allowing him to commit to England, and that is what the batsman did having served a four-year qualification period.
Jennings’ parents, eagerly watching their son make his England debut on TV, missed seeing him complete his sensational century due to a power cut while on holiday in Mauritius, a holiday Keaton was meant to be joining them on before his England call-up last week. An hour-long power cut came when the 24-year-old was on 96 – “it came back on when he was on 111 and then he scored one more run and he was out,” said his father.
Jennings made his first-class debut for Gauteng in his native Johannesburg in December 2011 having spent a season with Durham, where he made 1,319 runs in Academy and Second XI matches. He earned his first-class debut for Durham against Surrey in August 2012 and went onto score 70 against Lancashire in his third first-class match for the county.
Four of the last five England batsmen to make a 100 on Test debut born in S Africa; Jennings following Trott, Prior, Strauss. Cook exception
— sportingintelligence (@sportingintel) December 8, 2016
The left-hander averages 35.89 over his first-class career, with 16 fifties and 12 centuries, the first of which came in July 2013, at home against Derbyshire. He was named the County Championship player of the year by the Cricket Writers’ Club for 2016, which recognised a season in which he was the leading run-scorer in the competition with 1,548 runs at an average of 64.5 with seven hundreds, including a double century against Yorkshire.
His career-best 88 as Durham were beaten finalists in the NatWest Blast was also the highest score during Twenty20 finals day. He narrowly lost out on England recognition on the subsequent tour to Bangladesh but having been called up as a replacement for Haseeb Hameed, he has well and truly made his mark for the national team.
The 18 previous England batsman to score a century on Test debut
WG Grace (1880) - 152 in first innings at The Oval as England beat Australia by five wickets.
KS Ranjitsinhji (1896) - 154 not out in second innings at Old Trafford as England lost to Australia by three wickets.
Sir Pelham Warner (1899) - 132 not out in second innings as England beat South Africa by 32 runs in Johannesburg.
Tip Foster (1903) - 287 in first innings as England beat Australia by five wickets in Sydney.
George Gunn (1907) - 119 in first innings as England lost to Australia by two wickets in Sydney.
Nawab of Pataudi (1932) - 102 in first innings as England beat Australia by 10 wickets in Sydney.
Bryan Valentine (1933) - 136 in first innings as England beat India by nine wickets in Bombay.
Paul Gibb (1938) - 106 in second innings as England drew with South Africa in Johannesburg.
Billy Griffith (1948) - 140 in first innings at Port of Spain, Trinidad, as England drew with West Indies .
Peter May (1951) - 138 in first innings at Headingley as England drew with South Africa.
Arthur Milton (1958) - 104 not out in first innings at Headingley as England beat New Zealand by an innings and 71 runs.
John Hampshire (1969) - 107 in first innings at Lord’s as England drew with the West Indies.
Frank Hayes (1973) - 106 not out in second innings at The Oval as England lost by 158 runs to West Indies.
Graham Thorpe (1993) - 114 not out in second innings at Trent Bridge as England drew with Australia.
Andrew Strauss (2004) - 112 in first innings as England beat New Zealand by seven wickets at Lord’s
Alastair Cook (2006) - 104 not out in second innings as England drew with India in Nagpur.
Matt Prior (2007) - 126 not out in first innings at Lord’s as England drew against the West Indies.
Jonathan Trott (2009) - 119 in second innings as England beat Australia by 197 runs at The Oval.
