3 Indian batsmen who were dismissed for zero on T20I debut
Prithvi Shaw entered an infamous list when he was dismissed for a golden duck in his T20I debut for India against Sri Lanka on Sunday (July 25) at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Winning the toss, the hosts opted to field, and Prithvi Shaw, who was handed his maiden T20I cap, walked out to bat alongside skipper Shikhar Dhawan.
However, the young opener fell to an outswinger from Dushmantha Chameera on the first ball of the innings, triggering wild celebrations in the Sri Lanka camp. He planted his feet firmly to the ground and prodded at the ball, only to get a faint edge to Sri Lankan keeper Minod Bhanuka, who accepted the offering gleefully and went up jubilantly in celebration.
Shaw's duck on the first ball of his debut placed him alongside two other Indian cricketers who were dismissed for nought on their T20I debuts.
#1 MS Dhoni, India vs South Africa in 2006
MS Dhoni, one of India's most successful skippers, didn't have a dream T20I debut. Chasing 127 to win against Sri Lanka, MSD walked in at No.4 only to be dismissed by Charles Langeveldt. Dhoni got a length delivery which he chopped on to his stumps to end his ultra-short stay.
As far as the match result goes, India won with a ball to spare in what could rightly be called a nail-biting thriller. Dhoni, for his part, played 98 T20Is notching up 1617 runs at an average of 37.60, and he also brought about India's T20 World Cup win, which is why he is regarded as one of India's best cricketers.
#2 KL Rahul, India vs Zimbabwe in 2016
The Karnataka batsman had a forgettable T20I debut when he was cleaned up for zero by Donald Tripano in Harare. He found a thick inside edge in his attempt to dab the ball to the third man, only for the timber to be rattled.
The chase of 170 was spearheaded by Manish Pandey (48 off 35) and Mandeep Singh (31 off 27), but the visitors fell short by two runs.
The damp outing, though, didn't deter the Punjab Kings skipper as he has gone on to score 1557 runs from 49 matches. The run course has included two tons and 12 fifties at an average of 39.92.
#3 Prithvi Shaw, India vs Sri Lanka in 2021
The Mumbai lad joined Rahul and Dhoni to form a trio to be dismissed for a duck on their T20I debut. Shaw, who has a reputation of blowing away oppositions at the top of the order, came into this series on the back of a scintillating ODI run against the host but failed to carry on his form.
However, Prithvi Shaw still has an impressive T20 record. He's scored 1509 runs from 59 games at an average of 25.55, and one can expect the youngster to brush away a poor debut and enjoy a glowing career.