3 most expensive spells by an Indian pacer on Test debut ft. Prasidh Krishna 

South Africa gave Team India a proper hiding as they won the first Test of the ongoing three-match series by an innings and 32 runs on Thursday. The match took place at the SuperSport Park in Centurion and was finished within three days.

The visitors were outclassed in all departments by the Proteas. While their pacers bowled magnificently, the batting group excelled on a surface that wasn't conducive to easy run-making.

After India put on a competitive 245 on the board, the home team's batters put the game to bed by posting 408 in their first innings and taking a 163-run lead. While Jasprit Bumrah spearheaded the Indian bowling attack and took 4/69, he didn't find much support from his teammates.

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Seamers including Mohammed Siraj (91/2) and Shardul Thakur (101/1) leaked runs and couldn't enjoy much success. Likewise, Prasidh Krishna, who made his debut in the game, didn't inspire much confidence and returned figures of 93/1 in 20 overs.

Krishna, who would've loved to announce his arrival in red-ball cricket with a bang, had a forgettable outing. He joined the list of Indian pacers featuring at the top of the list for most expensive spells on Test debut.

On that very note, let's take a look at the three most expensive spells by an Indian pacer on his Test debut.

Note: Only bowlers who bowled a minimum of 20 overs in their debut innings are considered for the listicle.

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#3 Thirumalai Sekhar - 0/86 vs Pakistan in 1983

Thirumalai Sekhar during an IPL Auction [Getty Images]

Back in 1982-83, India toured Pakistan for a six-match Test series. Pakistan gave India a hammering as they won the series by a margin of 3-0.

After India lost three of the first four matches, they gave a chance to a young fast bowler in Thirumalai Sekhar. The Tamil Nadu-born pacer bowled first-change after Kapil Dev and Balwinder Sandhu.

Sekhar, who was coming up against the likes of Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, and Mudassar Nazar, tried his best but couldn't solidify his line and length. In the 20 overs he bowled, Sekhar went wicketless and gave away 86 runs.

His economy rate of 4.3 was the most expensive by an Indian. If not for Kapil Dev's magical 8/85, India could've been in huge trouble.

Pakistan made 323 in their first innings, while India looked strong against at 235/3 before continuous rain halted the match. Hence, the game ended as a draw.

While Sekhar got to play only two Tests and four ODIs, he became part of the selection committee for Team India. Sekhar was also appointed as the manager for the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in IPL 2015.

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#2 Prasidh Krishna - 1/93 vs South Africa in 2023

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Prasidh Krishna vs South Africa in Centurion [Getty Images]

As mentioned earlier, Prasidh Krishna had a forgettable debut for India in Test cricket as he failed to make his mark.

Given his ability to extract extra bounce off the deck, Krishna was expected to do some damage in South African conditions. He couldn't have asked for a better pitch to make his debut on as it offered both swing and seam to the bowlers.

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However, the tall fast bowler looked clueless at times. He leaked runs consistently and proved to be an easy target for the Proteas batters, particularly for Dean Elgar, who amassed 185 runs in his penultimate Test match.

Krishna, who bowled 20 overs in the innings, gave away 93 runs and picked up just one wicket. His first Test scalp was wicket-keeper batter Kyle Verreynne.

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#1 Irfan Pathan - 1/136 vs Australia in 2003

Irfan Pathan during his debut series vs Australia [Getty Images]

The record for dishing out the most expensive spell as an India pacer bowler on Test debut is held by Irfan Pathan. The former all-rounder played his first-ever Test match against Australia during the famous 2003-04 series Down Under.

It was the second Test of the Border-Gavasker Trophy 2003-04 series. Batting first, Australia dominated the opening day as their batters made merry on a flat surface in Adelaide. While Justin Langer made a half-century, Ricky Ponting decimated the Indian attack with a superb 242.

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Irfan Pathan, who replaced Zaheer Khan in the team, started the proceedings on a high note as he removed Matthew Hayden in his very first spell. However, as the Aussie batters eased into the game, Pathan began to leak runs.

In fact, the left-arm pacer gave away runs at an economy rate of 5.04, which was the most by any bowler in any innings of the Test match. Pathan bowled 27 overs in the innings and returned with figures of 1/136 in his debut spell.

Australia made 556/10 before India made a stunning comeback on the back of an iconic 303-run partnership between Rahul Dravid (233) and VVS Laxman (148). The visitors scripted an unprecedented win by four wickets in the memorable game.

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