5 Indian players who did well on their County Championship debut ft. Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill recently made his County Championship debut for Glamorgan in a Division Two clash against Worcestershire in Cardiff. Batting at No. 3, the stylish right-hander made his mark with a fluent 92, falling agonizingly short of scoring a century.

Gill has hit a purple patch in recent times, starting with a fine IPL campaign for the Gujarat Titans (GT). While the Edgbaston Test didn't go according to plan, the Punjab batter bagged consecutive Player of the Series awards in the ODI rubbers against the West Indies and Zimbabwe.

Over the years, a number of Indian players have enjoyed fruitful stints in the English County Championship. Quite a few of them, from Zaheer Khan to Cheteshwar Pujara, have seen their careers undergo a turnaround for the better as a result of the experience gained in those testing conditions.

Some of them have also taken to it like fish to water over time. With Gill becoming the latest to do so, let's take a look at five other Indian players who have enjoyed a fine county debut over the years.

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#1 Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar was simply born to achieve milestones and create records. At the tender age of 19, he became the first ever overseas signing by Yorkshire as he represented them in the 1992 County Championship.

The Master Blaster made an instant impact and stroked his way to 86 after Yorkshire were asked to bat by Hampshire on his debut.

He even sent down seven tidy overs with the ball, but the contest was marred by rain and ended in a draw.

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#2 Piyush Chawla

Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla signed for Sussex during the 2009 County Championship. He debuted in a Division One contest against Worcestershire in their own backyard and endured an expensive outing in the first innings.

Chawla, however, would go on to set history with the bat. Coming in at No. 9, he blasted an unbeaten 102 off 86 deliveries, becoming the first Indian to score a century on debut in the County Championship.

That seemed to rub off on his bowling in the second essay, as he picked up a six-wicket haul, paving the way for Sussex's victory.

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#3 Ajinkya Rahane

After being discarded from India's white-ball setup, Ajinkya Rahane plied his trade for Hampshire, while his national colleagues were gearing up for the 2019 ODI World Cup. He debuted for the county against Nottinghamshire in a Division One game in Newport and batted at No. 3.

While he didn't get off to the best of starts and made just 10 in the first innings, he redeemed himself with a century in the second. Skipper Sam Northeast joined him at 9/2 and the duo stitched together a 257-run stand for the third wicket, as Rahane scored 119 off 197 deliveries.

Hampshire's bowlers then took over to rout Notts for 194, wrapping up a 244-run victory.

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#4 Washington Sundar

The ongoing County Championship 2022 season has seen many Indians ply their trade in the UK. Washington Sundar is among those and while his stint was shortened owing to an injury during a one-day game for Lancashire, it has been fruitful nonetheless.

Sundar made an instant impact on debut, bagging a five-fer against Northamptonshire in the first innings. He also made an invaluable batting contribution in the fourth innings with Lancashire chasing 278.

Batting at No. 8, the southpaw's solid unbeaten 34 saw the team home by four wickets, rounding off an impactful debut.

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#5 Navdeep Saini

Tearaway quick Navdeep Saini has tapered away from the international scene after what was a promising start to his career in 2019.

He bagged a deal with Kent earlier this year and announced himself with a five-wicket burst in the first essay of his debut contest against Warwickshire.

Saini then followed it up with two more scalps in the second innings as Kent wrapped up a 177-run win at Edgbaston in this Division Two County Championship contest.

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