Top 5 best bowling figures by an Indian on women's ODI debut ft. Asha Sobhana
Asha Sobhana ran through the South African batting unit in the first ODI to mark one of the most memorable debut outings in recent times. The leg-spinner rose through the ranks following the inception of the Women's Premier League (WPL), and although she made her first national appearance at the age of 33, it is an inspiring story nonetheless.
Much like Shobana, other players starred with the ball in their maiden ODI appearance. Representing the nation at the highest level is one of the biggest honors that a player can avail throughout their cricketing journey, and being among the best performers right from the word go, does them a world of good too in terms of confidence.
On that note, let us take a look at the top 5 best bowling figures by an Indian on women's ODI debut.
#1 Purnima Choudhary (5/21 vs West Indies; Faridabad, 1997 Women's World Cup)
The right-arm pacer remains the women's bowler with the best bowling figures for India on debut despite achieving the feat 26 years ago. Making her first appearance for India during a World Cup contest against the West Indies, she finished with figures of 5/21.
Her match-winning spell helped India defend 146 runs as the West Indies were bowled out for just 83 runs. Choudhary's appearances, however, were confined just to the 1997 World Cup. The semi-final against Australia marked her final appearance in international cricket.
#2 Asha Sobhana (4/21 vs South Africa; 1st ODI; Bengaluru, 2024)
Asha Sobhana made her ODI debut in familiar territory, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where she bowled some of her best spells in the 2024 Women's Premier League (WPL).
The leg-spinner was brought into the attack in the 15th over as India were looking to pile on more pressure on South Africa while defending 266 runs in the first ODI. She began on a good note, not giving the batters much to work with, and as a result, her maiden wicket was not far away.
She struck in the 22nd over with a looping delivery outside the off stump to dismiss Marizanne Kapp. The all-rounded ended up giving a simple catch to Harmanpreet Kaur. Sobhana then returned to the attack to clean up the tail, picking up three wickets in eight deliveries to finish with a four-fer and ensure India's comfortable win.
#3 Amanjot Kaur (4/31 vs Bangladesh; 1st ODI, Mirpur, 2023)
The emerging all-rounder made her debut in the away series against Bangladesh in 2023. She was the pick of the bowlers straightaway, returning with 4/31. She decimated the top order and included the wicket of opposition captain Nigar Sultana. Her spell helped the Women in Blue bowl out Bangladesh for 152.
However, her bowling efforts ended up being in vain as India were bowled out for just 113 in the run chase. The debutant was the second-joint top scorer with 15 runs, but her efforts were not enough to take India over the line.
#4 Gouher Sultana (3/9 vs Pakistan; Kurunegala, 2008 Women's Asia Cup)
The left-arm spinner, who ended up playing 50 ODIs and 37 T20Is for India, began her international career during the 2008 Women's Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. She made an instant impression with a tight match-winning spell against Pakistan that included an astonishing seven maiden overs.
India were defending a mammoth target of 276, and the Pakistan side were never in the contest after dealing with Sultana's bowling. The chasing side were restricted to just 93/9 as the debutant conceded only nine runs even after bowling her full quota of 10 overs.
#5 Devika Palshikar (3/12 vs Pakistan; Karachi, 2006 Women's Asia Cup)
The right-arm medium bowler, who made 15 ODI and one Test match appearances in a short two-year career, had a dream debut. She shone in the crunch encounter against Pakistan during the 2006 Women's Asia Cup.
She conceded only 12 runs and picked up three wickets, including that of opposition skipper Sana Javed in her full quota of overs. Her bowling efforts played a huge role as Pakistan only scored 94 runs in 47.5 overs.
India managed to comfortably chase down the score in just 17.3 overs and ensured a 10-wicket win. Palshikar was adjudged the Player of the Match for her exploits.