5 Indian cricketers who flopped in their Test debuts

The feeling of receiving your Test cap is a special moment for any cricketer. The longest format is also the pinnacle of the sport and very few have been lucky enough to live that dream.

At the time of writing, 303 Indian men have had the privilege of donning the whites for the country. It hasn't been a smooth journey for them of course but some of them - such as incumbent skipper Rohit Sharma, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Ravichandran Ashwin to name a few - made a splash on debut to announce their arrival.

However, it wasn't a rosy beginning for a good number of them either. Here, we look at five Indian Test players who endured a difficult start to their careers.

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#5 Vinay Kumar

Vinay Kumar was part of India's touring squad to Australia in 2011-12.

India's disastrous overseas run in 2011-12 saw them lose eight Tests on the trot in England and Australia. The third game down under was played at the WACA in Perth and Karnataka's Vinay Kumar was handed a cap, with the visitors opting to play an extra seamer.

After India were bowled out for a paltry 161, their seamers ran into a red-hot David Warner who tore the bowling unit to shreds with a blistering 180. Vinay bowled 13 overs, conceding 78 runs and picking up the solitary wicket of Michael Hussey.

The hosts wrapped up an innings victory and Vinay never played another Test post that game. He made a name for himself as a domestic cricket giant though, leading Karnataka to back-to-back Ranji Trophy triumphs in the 2013-14 and 14-15 season.

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#4 Gautam Gambhir

While he's best known for his heroics in the 2011 Cricket World Cup final, Gautam Gambhir was once the top-ranked Test batter in the ICC Rankings. The southpaw represented India in 58 Tests and struck nine centuries, including a double-hunded.

However, his debut was a forgettable affair as he could only muster scores of three and one against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in 2004. While India went on to win the thriller by 13 runs, it wasn't quite the dream debut for the Delhi-based opener.

Gambhir was in and out of the side in the following years, but he established himself for good in 2008 and formed a formidable opening combination with Virender Sehwag. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2018.

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#3 Ajinkya Rahane

After a long wait on the sidelines, Ajinkya Rahane finally made his Test debut when India played Australia in the fourth Test in New Delhi in 2013. On what was a turner from Day 1, batting was not an easy task for either side.

Batting at number 5, Rahane found the going tough against spin. With a boisterous Aussie side looking to put him under pressure, he perished for scores of seven and one. His next home Test came in 2015 but in between, he conquered the SENA nations and established himself as one of the mainstays in India's batting unit.

Rahane also captained India on six occasions when Virat Kohli wasn't available. He will perhaps be best known for leading a remarkable turnaround during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series of 2020-21 Down Under. The visitors went on to win 2-1 after losing the first game of the four-match series.

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#2 Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli was already a World Cup winner and a mainstay in the white-ball setup by the time he received his Test cap in 2011. Debuting against the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, the Delhi lad was part of a batting unit that was missing the likes of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar.

Batting at 5, Kohli fell to Fidel Edwards across both innings, tallying scores of just four and 15. What happened thereafter, though, was history. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) superstar went on to establish himself as a modern-day great and went on to become captain of the Test side.

Kohli is credited with sparking a fast-bowling revolution in the longer format of the game in India as they went on to achieve unprecedented success under his captaincy. He stepped down from his post earlier this year, following the series against South Africa.

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#1 KL Rahul

For a long time, KL Rahul was touted as one of the next big thing in Indian cricket. The Karnataka opener bolted his way into the national setup in 2014 after strong showings in the domestic circuit.

During the tour of Australia in 2014-15, Rahul was handed his cap for the Boxing Day Test, albeit in the middle-order. Batting at number 6 in the first innings, a miscued slog sweep saw him depart for three runs.

While he was pushed up the order at the fall of the first wicket, his second innings didn't have much to drive home about either.

Rahul top-edged a pull off Mitchell Johnson and perished for one, copping a lot of criticism for his shot selection. The redemption arc followed soon after though, as he stroked his maiden hundred in the following match in Sydney.

Having made a name for himself in the years that followed, KL Rahul is currently the vice-captain of the Indian team across formats.