8 Indian bowlers who picked a 5-wicket haul on Test debut
Test cricket is the ultimate level of professional cricket. And a five-wicket haul in a Test is one of the most notable achievements in the sport - just like a century for a batsman.
It is difficult for any player to come on to the ultimate stage and perform right away. However, there have been instances when young and new bowlers have fully grabbed their chance on their Test debut.
It is always a delight to watch new bowlers stamping their brilliance in their very first game in Test cricket. In this segment, we will take a look at Indian bowlers who took a five-wicket haul on Test debut:
#1 Mohammed Nissar (1932)
Mohammed Nissar was the first player from India to take a five-wicket haul on debut in Tests.
India had arrived in England in 1932 to play its first ever Test match, under the captaincy of Col. C K Naidu. Mohammed Nissar and Amar Singh comprised the Indian pace bowling attack on the tour.
Though the long tour featured numerous first-class matches, India was scheduled to play only one Test match. In the first innings, Mohammed Nissar dismissed five English batsmen for 93 runs, thus becoming the first Indian bowler to achieve this feat.
Nissar is also the first Indian to feature on Lord's honor board.
#2 Vaman Kumar (1961)
Vaman Kumar was a leg-break bowler. He made his debut in the last Test of the five-match home series against Pakistan in 1961.
The previous four matches had not produced any result, but India was hopeful of its chances in the last match at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla. India put up a mammoth score of 463 in the first innings, to put the visitors under pressure.
Riding on Vaman's superb bowling spell of 5/64, they then reduced Pakistan to a meager total of 286 and enforced the follow-on. However, India couldn't win the match and they didn't have enough overs to get to the target of 74 in the fourth innings.
Vaman featured in only two Test matches for India.