New Delhi, 29 December – Former Indian cricketer Surinder Amarnath belongs to a family that has produced several legendary players for India. His father, Lala Amarnath, was a celebrated Indian cricketer. This father-son duo holds a unique record of scoring centuries on their Test match debuts.

Lala Amarnath made his Test debut in December 1933 against England in Mumbai, scoring 118 runs. Following in his father’s footsteps, Surinder Amarnath also scored a century on his Test debut.

Surinder made his Test debut in January 1976 against New Zealand, scoring 124 runs in India’s first innings. During this innings, he hit one six and sixteen fours.

Lala Amarnath and Surinder Amarnath remain the only father and son pair in the world to have scored centuries on their respective Test debuts.

Born on 30 December 1948 in Kanpur, Surinder Amarnath made his Ranji Trophy debut at the age of just 15. He gained recognition during the 1967 England tour with the Indian school team. Surinder scored a century on his unofficial Test debut against Sri Lanka in 1975-76. He then repeated the feat by scoring a century on his official Test debut against New Zealand.

When in form, Surinder had the ability to counter even the best bowling attacks effectively.

In the 1976-77 Test series against England, Surinder topped the averages in two matches and scored two half-centuries during the series.

In 1976, Surinder played five Test matches, scoring 223 runs at an average of 24.77 in nine innings. The following year, he appeared in only two Tests, scoring 180 runs at an average of 45. In his third year, he played three Tests, scoring 147 runs at an average of 29.40 in five innings.

The left-handed batsman played a total of 10 Test matches, amassing 550 runs at an average of 30.55. His Test career included one century and three half-centuries. In three One Day Internationals, Surinder scored 100 runs at an average of 33.33.

In his first-class career spanning 145 matches, Surinder scored 8,175 runs at an average of 40.47, including 16 centuries and 47 half-centuries. He also scored 582 runs at an average of 36.37 in 20 List-A matches.

Surinder’s brothers, Mohinder Amarnath and Rajinder Amarnath, were also prominent cricketers. His son, Digvijay Surinder Amarnath, has played first-class cricket as well.