Making your debut for India in any version of cricket is a dream of many young and talented people. Millions dream about it, but only a few get to live it. Today, we’ve decided to look at some additional famous Indian cricket debuts. Some of these were successes, while others were disasters, but they are all significant in some ways.
Let’s take a look at some of the most notable debut matches of some legendary cricketers:
1. Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly did something else in the stadium years before he swung his shirt from the Lord’s balcony.
On his Test debut in 1996, he scored a century there. Ganguly scored 131 runs off 301 balls in an outstanding start to his long and brilliant career, and the rest is history.
2. Rahul Dravid
Meanwhile, as Ganguly was doing something spectacular on one side, Dravid was doing the same on the other. He was a debutant in that match as well, although he, unlike his teammate, fell short of a century by 5 runs. That was painful, but as we all know, Dravid avenged himself later in life by becoming one of the finest, Test cricketers in the world.
3. MS Dhoni
How odd that the man who had innumerable run-outs in his career was removed in the same manner in India’s first match. Dhoni made his debut for India in 2004, and after some miscommunication with partner Mohammad Kaif, he was dismissed for a duck.
This was also the game in which Joginder Sharma made his professional debut. MS Dhoni will subsequently lead the squad and give Joginder the last over of the T20 World Cup final three years later.
4. Sachin Tendulkar
In 1989, Master Blaster made his Test debut for India against Pakistan in a Test series. He was just 16 years old at the time, but there’s more to it than that. Another player made his debut with Sachin. Waqar Younis was Pakistan’s bowler, and as fate would have it, Waqar had Sachin’s wicket in the first innings.
Both went on to become legends of the game, with the Indian being possibly the finest of all time.
5. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is now widely regarded as a modern-day legend. But where did it all begin? Virat Kohli guided India to win in the 2008 U-19 World Cup. This was sufficient confirmation of his ability, and the former national team captain has always demonstrated his abilities when called upon.
He scored just 12 runs in his debut match against Sri Lanka, a poor score, but he avenged it 14 matches later with his maiden century against the same opponents.
6. Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar debuted in the Indian jersey in 1971 and set a record for most runs scored in a debut series. He amassed a total of 774 runs, a performance that has never been repeated.
Also, keep in mind that in 1971 India got independence less than three decades ago. Until that time, we had never beaten the West Indies in a Test series. The debut of Sunil Gavaskar altered all of that. He went on to be a member of the World Cup-winning team in 1983, and he served as an inspiration to many, including Sachin Tendulkar.
7. Yuvraj Singh
We all know how important Yuvraj was in knocking out the defending champions, Australia, from the 2011 World Cup, which India won. His rivalry with the Australians, on the other hand, stretches back to the year 2000. Yuvraj made his One-Day International debut against Kenya, however, he did not bat.
In the next game, against Australia, he batted for the first time and hit a fantastic 84. India was able to overcome their opponents by 20 runs because of his innings.
8. Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan’s Test debut was one of the best in recent memory. In 2013, he hit a century (187) against the Australians in Mohali and never looked back. He also holds the record for the quickest century by a debutant, taking only 85 balls to reach the three-figure milestone.
9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
While Bhuvi’s career has not been without its ups and downs, his debut numbers are impressive. In his maiden T20I in 2012, he scalped the wickets of Nasir Jamshed, Umar Akmal, and Mohammad Hafeez to leave Pakistan in a precarious situation at 12/3 in 3 overs.
Similarly, he took a wicket with his first ball in an ODI, which also happened to be the opening delivery of the match.
10. Virender Sehwag
Did Virender Sehwag ever take too long to open up and hit shots? I think, no! His debut was no exception. In his maiden Test match, he hit a century off 157 deliveries and created a strong 220-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar. The two would go on to become one of India’s most famous openers.
11. Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya just had an incredible ODI debut for India. He scored the quickest 50 in this format by a first-timer, and it was all the more touching because of the tribute he paid to his father, who had passed away just a few days before his debut.
Krunal Pandya pays tribute to his late father in sublime fashion with a 50 on his ODI debut 👏#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/X8nIusQwAw
— ICC (@ICC) March 23, 2021