List of Indian bowlers to take 5-wicket haul on debut in test cricket

Only 9 Indian bowlers have picked a 5-wicket haul on debut in test cricket so far.

Narendra Hirwani may have played only 17 test matches for India in his career but he made a huge impact in the game with spectacular debut against West Indies in Chennai. Narendra Hirwani is the only Indian bowler to pick up two five-wicket hauls on test debut and he also holds the record of most wickets taken by an Indian on test debut – 16 wickets. Apart from Narendra Hirwani, there are a few more names in Indian cricket who announced themselves with magnificent performance.

Getting maiden test cap is one of the most special feeling in test cricket. A test cap is reward of good 12-14 years of hard work for a young player. Everyone dreams of putting up a great show on their debut test match. There are nine bowlers in Indian cricket team’s history who have picked up a five-wicket-haul on their debut in test cricket. Let’s have a look at the list of Indian bowlers to take 5-wicket haul on debut in test cricket.

Indian bowlers to pick a 5-fer on test cricket debut:

1. Mohammad Nisar – 1932 vs England, Lord’s

Right arm pacer Mohammad Nisar was part of the historical first test match of India. Nisar picked up five wicket haul in first innings of the test match in 1932 at The Lord’s. Nisar bowled the first ever ball for India in test cricket as well. His 5-wicket haul helped India restrict England for just 259 runs in the first innings. India lost the match to England by 158 runs later in the game. Nisar played six test matches for India and picked up 25 wickets in his short career.

2. Vaman Viswanath Kumar (VV Kumar) – 1961 vs Pakistan, Delhi

Leg break googly bowler Vaman Viswanath Kumar (VV Kumar) made his test debut against Pakistan at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium (now Arun Jaitley Stadium) in Delhi in 1961. VV Kumar was the second Indian bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul in his test debut. VV Kumar picked up five wickets in his first innings, he bowler 37 overs and conceded just 64 runs. He bowled 21 maiden overs in his spell. He played only two test matches for India.

3. Syed Abid Ali – 1967 vs Australia, Adelaide

Syed Abid Ali is one of the most renowned all-rounder in Indian cricket. Abid Ali made his test debut against Australia in 1967 at the Adelaide Oval and picked up six wickets in first innings of the match to become third Indian to pick a 5-wicket haul on debut in test cricket. He bowled a magnificent spell of 6/55 in the first innings and picked one wicket in the second innings. He also scored 33 runs in both innings of the match, but all those efforts weren’t enough for India as they lost the game.

4. Dillip Doshi – 1979 vs Australia, Chennai

Dilip Doshi was India’s constant member in the playing XI at home during 1979 to 1983. Left-arm spinner Doshi became fourth Indian to pick up a 5-wicket haul on debut in test cricket in 1979. Doshi made his debut against Australia in Chennai and picked up 6/103 in first innings of the game. The match ended in a draw. Doshi went on to play 33 tests for India and picked 114 wickets in total.

5. Narendra Hirwani – 1988 vs West Indies, Chennai

Narendra Hirwani picked 16 wickets and conceded only 136 runs on his debut in test cricket, which is best bowling figures registered by any bowler on debut in test cricketing history. Narendra Hirwani is India’s only bowler to pick two 5-wicket hauls on test debut. He made his debut against West Indies in Chennai in 1988 and picked up 8/61 and 8/75 in the match to help India win by a massive 255 runs. Hirwani went on to play 17 tests and picked 66 wickets overall in his career.

6. Amit Mishra – 2008 vs Australia, Mohali

Former Indian leg-spinner Amit Mishra became sixth Indian bowler to register a 5-wicket haul on test debut in 2008 when he made his test debut against Australia in Mohali during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Mishra picked five wickets and conceded 71 runs in the first innings and added two more wickets in the second innings as India won the game by a huge margin of 320 runs. Mishra went on to represent India in 22 test matches and scalped 76 wickets in total.

7. Ravichandran Ashwin – 2011 vs West Indies, Delhi

Ace Indian off-spinner Ravi Ashwin made his test debut against West Indies at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium (now Arun Jaitley Stadium) in 2011. Ashwin rattled the West Indies batting line-up in the second innings of the match and picked up six wickets conceding 47 runs. On the course, he became seventh Indian bowler to pick a 5-wicket haul on test debut. Ashwin scalped three wickets in the first innings and six in the second innings to help India win the game by 5 wickets. He was awarded Player of the Match.

8. Mohammed Shami – 2013 vs West Indies, Kolkata

Mohammed Shami has become one of the biggest match-winners for India in recent times. Shami made a massive impact with his pace bowling in the World Cup 2023. Shami also had a special debut test in 2013 against West Indies at Eden Gardens. Shami picked up a four wicket haul in his first innings and then went to pick five wickets for 47 runs in his 13-over spell in the second innings to become eighth Indian to pick a 5-wicket haul on test debut.

9. Axar Patel – 2021 vs England, Chennai

India’s left-arm spinner Axar Patel had a terrific debut against England in a test series at home in 2021. He single handedly rattled the England batting order in three test matches he played in the series. On his debut in Chennai, he scalped two wickets in the first innings of the match and then picked five wickets conceding 60 runs in the second innings to become ninth Indian bowler to pick a 5-wicket haul on debut in test cricket.

(All stats updated till 23rd February, 2024)

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