11 Indian cricketers who made their Test debuts against Sri Lanka

#5. Pragyan Ojha

Ojha had a decent Test debut against Sri Lanka

The spinner made quite a name for himself with his fine performances for the Deccan Chargers in IPL 2008 and 2009 whi him a call-up to the Indian ODI team for the Asia Cup.

The following year, Ojha was included in the squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka and made his Test debut in the second Test at Kanpur replacing Amit Mishra who conceded more than 200 runs in the only innings of the first Test.

The Bhubaneshwar-born player bowled a very economical spell of 2/37 from 23 overs in the first innings with his first two Test scalps being two of the biggest names in Sri Lankan cricket in Mahela Jayawardene and Muttiah Muralitharan.

Ojha went on to take another two wickets in the second innings as India won the match by an innings and 144 runs.

Pragyan Ojha went on to play for the Test team until 2013 with his last Test coming against West Indies at Mumbai which was also Sachin Tendulkar’s final international cricket match.

#4. Nayan Mongia

The wicket-keeper batsman made his Test debut against Sri Lanka

India’s wicket-keeper batsman during the mid-90s and early 2000s, Nayan Mongia had quite a decent Test career, scoring 1442 runs in 44 Tests at an average of 24.03 with a 152 against Australia at Delhi being his highest Test score. He also took a total of 107 dismissals (99 catches and 8 stumpings).

Mongia’s Test debut came against Sri Lanka in 1994 at Lucknow where he scored a 55-ball 44 in the first innings and took four catches and a stumping throughout the match as India went on to win by an innings and 119 runs.

Mongia went on to play for India regularly up till 2001 with his final Test being India’s historical win against Australia at Eden Gardens where he injured his nose and was never called back to the Indian team.