Any cricketer who has played for his country, irrespective of how his career shapes up, never forgets the debut match for several reasons. Not only is it a magnificent occasion that is the fruit of tremendous hard work and dedication, it also the first chance to showcase talent and announce yourself on a stage with the entire world’s eyes upon you. The glory of a debut becomes even larger when it is made against an arch-rival or a big team.
No one will forget Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly’s magnificent debuts against England in 1996 or Sachin Tendulkar as a 16-year-old facing the likes of Imran Khan and Wasim Akram in Pakistan on his debut. Likewise, there have been some legendary cricketers who made their international debut against India, here are the best of the lot:
#1 Sir Viv Richards – 1974, Bangalore
Luckily for India, one of the greatest batsmen of all time made his debut in the sub-continent and Indians got a chance to catch the exclusive first glimpse of an exceptional talent and a maverick, who would entertain the world for years to come.
West Indies were in India for a five-match Test series and had the likes of Alvin Kalicharan, Clive Llyod, Lance Gibbs and Andy Roberts within their ranks. India, on the other hand, had a solid batting line-up with Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Viswanath and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi along with the holy spin trinity of Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, Erapalli Prasanna and S Venkataraghavan.
Though the visitors notched up a massive 267-run win, it was a forgettable debut for 22-year-old Richards, who was dismissed for single-digit scores in both innings. The Bangalore wicket used to be a spinner’s paradise in those days and Richards was visibly flustered by the Indian spin bowling. He was dismissed in both innings by Chandrasekhar for scores of 4 and 3.
2) Steve Waugh – 1985, Melbourne
The elder Waugh twin, Steven, made his debut against India in the second Test of the three-match series in Australia. Waugh was roped into the team as an all-rounder in a team that featured the likes of Geoff Marsh, Allan Border and David Boon. India, led by Kapil Dev, were on the rise as a cricketing nation in the first half of the 1980s, buoyant after their World Cup triumph a couple of years back.
The fact that Waugh made his debut in the Australian cathedral of cricket can now be safely characterised as an apt metaphor, given what he did for the Kangaroos in his career. He got a chance to bat at no. 6 in the first innings and managed 13 from 32 balls as Australia were dismissed for 262. Waugh performed well with the bowl in the first innings, picking up two wickets (Ravi Shastri and Syed Kirmani) in his spell of 11 overs.
He was dismissed cheaply in the second innings (5 off 20 balls), getting castled by Ravi Shastri and did not get a chance to bowl as the match ended in a draw. It was a sedated start to a career that would end up defining an era and establish unprecedented dominance in world cricket.
3) Waqar Younis – 1989, Karachi
In a Test match that most historians and fans remember for the debut of Sachin Tendulkar, a teenager with fire in his belly and yorkers in his DNA also stepped into the cauldron of international cricket. An 18-year-old Waqar Younis played his first Test match against arch-rivals and neighbours India, one day before his birthday on November 16th. The Pakistani team was led by Imran Khan while the Indian team’s reigns were in the hands of the charming Kris Srikkanth.
The Pakistani team was full of talent and boasted of a stunning bowling attack comprising Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Abdul Qadir and debutant Waqar, who did not get much action straight away as the home side batted first. He did go out to bat in the first innings but spent lesser time on the wicket than he did while taking guard, getting dismissed by Manoj Prabhakar for nought.
However, his skills lay with the red cherry and Younis showed signs of that bustling fire and tremendous ability, which would make him one of the greatest in coming years. He put in a stunning debut performance, picking up four wickets in 19 overs including that of a 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar, who was castled by Waqar after a scratchy innings of 15. The match ended in a draw and also marked the arrival of two of cricket’s biggest future superstars.
4) Shane Warne – 1992, Sydney
The second day of the year 1992 was a landmark day for Australian cricket as one of its greatest talents of all time made his debut in Sydney against India. It was the third Test of the five-match series that saw Australia demolish India 4-0. Warne was added to an Australian bowling attack that comprised the likes of Bruce Reid, Craig McDermott and Merv Hughes.
India, on the other hand, had in its ranks Ravi Shastri, Navjot Singh Sidhu, a rising Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev and Javagal Srinath. Warne, though in the team for bowling, made a decent start with the bat, scoring 20 off 67 balls to get a feel of international cricket. When Australia posted a total of 313 in the first innings, it looked as if India would be dismissed for a low score and Warne would feast off a team short of confidence.
However, it was not to be. Warne bowled a total of 45 overs in the innings and managed to pick just one wicket (Ravi Shastri), giving away 150 runs. He was clobbered by future foe Sachin Tendulkar and Shastri, who notched up a double ton. Warne could not get a crack at the Indian line-up in the second innings and ended the game with a rather lacklustre debut.
5) Allan Donald – 1991, Kolkata (then Calcutta)
South Africa came to India to play a three-match ODI series in 1991 and were fresh from their lengthy ban due to the apartheid issue. The Proteas had a lot of talent among their ranks and were led by Clive Rice. Donald was drafted into the team to pair with Richard Snell and Brian McMillan, the other pacers. India, on the other hand, had a young team captained by Mohammad Azharuddin.
The home side put their opponents into bat and put in a superb bowling performance to dismiss South Africa for just 177 with Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabhakar picking up two wickets each. South Africa needed wickets to have any sort of chance to win the game and Donald, on his debut, produced a splendid spell of fast bowling that would have done any world class bowler proud.
Donald did not waste time in making his mark with the ball and quickly sent back Ravi Shastri, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sanjay Manjrekar to the pavilion. However, a certain Sachin Tendulkar, along with his friend Pravin Amre, ensured that Donald’s debut would be great only personally and not team wise. Though Donald eventually got the wickets of Tendulkar and Amre to complete a glorious five-wicket-haul, he could not take his team to victory.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
