10 cricketers who were named Man of the Series in their debut Test series

#4 Ajantha Mendis- 26 wickets in debut series

Mendis picked up 26 wickets in his debut series against India

Mendis spun his way to glory in his debut series against India in the year 2008. The Indian batsmen who were exceptional players of spin bowling struggled against the new mystery bowler, Mendis.

Mendis bowled 163.1 overs in the series and picked up 26 wickets at an average of 18.38 and an impressive strike rate of 37.65. The Indian batsmen had no answers to the spin of Mendis and were comprehensively beaten in the first and the third Tests of the series.

Though Mendis created an immediate impact in the Test team and picked up 26 wickets in his debut series for which he was named the man of the series, he could not replicate this performance for a longer duration and picked up only 44 wickets in his remaining Test career. Mendis last played a Test match for Sri Lanka in the year 2014 and since then has been overlooked by the selectors.

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#5 Ravichandran Ashwin- Second Indian to win the Man of the Series award on debut

Ashwin had an exceptional debut series with the bat and ball against West Indies in the year 2011

Ashwin was a member of the Indian team which won the 2011 World Cup.

In the same year i.e. 2011, the off-spinner from Tamil Nadu made his Test debut against West Indies. The debut series was memorable for the off-spinner as he picked up 22 West Indian wickets at an average of 22.91 with 2 5 wicket hauls in the series.

Ashwin also displayed his skills with the bat and scored a century in the third Test at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. An average of 40.33 with the bat in the debut series along with bowling average of 22.91 was the highlight of the series for India and Ashwin was named the player of the series.

Ashwin till date is a vital member of the Indian Test squad and has picked up 336 Test wickets at an average of 25.45.

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#6 Vernon Philander- Bowling average of 13.93 in his debut series:

Philander picked up 14 wickets at an average of 13.93 on Test debut

The 2011 Australian tour of South Africa witnessed some exciting Test cricket. The 2 match Test series was a hard fought series and Australia held their nerves to win the second Test at Cape Town by 2 wickets after losing the first Test by 8 wickets at CapeTown.

Philander made his debut at Cape Town and picked up 8 wickets in the Test (3 wickets in the first innings and 5 wickets in the second innings) and bagged the Man of the Match award on debut. He picked up 6 more wickets in the second Test and ended the series with 14 wickets at an average of 13.93.

Philander is an integral part of the South African Test team even today and has picked up 205 wickets at an average of 21.54.

#7 James Pattinson- The fast bowler Australia needed:

James Pattinson had an impressive debut series against New Zealand

The progress in the Test career of Pattinson has been plagued by injuries, It is really unfortunate that Pattinson has played only 17 Test matches for Australia.

The fast bowler had an exceptional start to his Test career in his debut series against New Zealand. The 2 match Test series was drawn with both teams winning a Test apiece.

Pattinson impressed one and all with his pace bowling and he picked up 14 Kiwi wickets in 60.5 overs at an average of just 14 and a strike rate of 26.07.

If not for injuries, Pattinson would be one of the leading pacers in world cricket at present.