A dream debut in the international arena, be it in any sport, is what any sportsperson would ask for. And that’s exactly how it turned out to be for 21-year-old Ravi Bishnoi on Wednesday.
Bishnoi was handed over the Team India cap ahead of the first T20I between India and West Indies at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, and boy did he impress!
Ravi Bishnoi finished with figures of 2/17. Sportzpics
Bishnoi is coming off an IPL 2021 season with Punjab Kings where he picked up nine wickets from 12 games, and a Syed Mushtaq Ali campaign with Rajasthan where he scalped eight wickets from six matches.
Bishnoi, who will ply trade for the new Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2022, was then in January this year named in the squad for the West Indies T20Is.
On his T20I debut on Wednesday, Bishnoi finished with impressive figures of 2/17 from four overs as the visitors posted 157/7 on board. Bishnoi’s efforts came in a winning cause as India went onto clinch the first T20I by six wickets, and that eventually earned him a Man of the Match award.
The leg-spinner from Jodhpur thus became the eighth Indian player to win the Man of the Match award on his T20I debut.
Here, we take a look at all the Indian cricketers who have won the Man of the Match award on T20I debut:
Dinesh Karthik
Back in December 2006, India played their first-ever T20I in a one-off match against South Africa in Johannesburg, and debutant Dinesh Karthik was India’s hero that day.
South Africa, who opted to bat, found themselves on the back foot after being restricted for 126/9. Albie Morkel was their top-scorer with 27 runs.
In India’s reply, Sachin Tendulkar (10) was dismissed early while Virender Sehwag (34) played his part. MS Dhoni, in at number four, went for a two-ball duck, with India’s score reading 71/3 from 11.1 overs. In comes Dinesh Karthik.
Karthik was involved in a 37-run stand with Dinesh Mongia (38) before the latter departed in the third ball of the 18th over, but victory was already in sight for India.
India needed nine runs to win from the last over, and a slog-sweep over deep midwicket from Karthik for a six in the first ball meant victory was near, and he eventually finished it with a single off the fifth ball, but not before rotating strike with Suresh Raina. India won by six wickets and Karthik won the Man of the Match for his 28-ball 31.
Subramaniam Badrinath
In his only T20I he’s ever played for India, Subramaniam Badrinath starred for India on his debut.
India were playing an only T20I against West Indies in Port of Spain in June 2011, and having been put into bat, Badrinath played a key role as rest of the Indian batters failed to get going, despite getting starts.
File image of S Badrinath. AFP
Badrinath (43) was involved in a 71-run stand with Rohit Sharma (26) for the fifth wicket, and that eventually took India to 159/6 from 56/4 at one stage.
In reply, Harbhajan Singh picked two wickets, while Praveen Kumar, R Ashwin and Munaf Patel scalped one each to restrict West Indies to 143/5, as the Men in Blue won the contest.
Pragyan Ojha
It was in the summer of 2009 when 22-year-old Pragyan Ojha made his T20I debut. It was a T20 World Cup (then called World T20) match against Bangladesh in Nottingham.
Knocks from Gautam Gambhir (50) and Yuvraj Singh (41) led the Men in Blue to 180/5 from 20 overs.
It was a tough total for Bangladesh to chase, and Pragyan Ojha did most of the damage with the ball, finishing with figures of 4/21.
Ojha bowled the ninth over of the innings, and he struck twice in the same over, getting rid of Shakib Al Hasan (8) and Junaid Siddique (41)
Ojha would go on to see off Mahmudullah and Mashrafe Mortaza in a space of two overs, that would further dent Bangladesh’s chances.
Bangladesh eventually fell 25 runs short, finishing their 20 overs at 155/8.
Axar Patel
On 17 July, 2015, slow left-arm spinner Axar Patel was introduced into the international arena. It was a T20I against Zimbabwe, and India had posted 178/5 after electing to bat.
In reply, Hamilton Masakadza and Chamu Chibhabha forged a 55-run stand before the latter departed. It wasn’t until the 10th over when Axar struck to remove Masakadza, who found Kedar Jadhav at short fine leg.
Axar went on to take the wickets of skipper Elton Chigumbura and Sikander Raza, as India registered a 54-run win.
Barinder Sran
Left-arm medium bowler Barinder Sran may have played just two T20Is, but he made sure that he would make his T20I debut a memorable one.
In a T20I against Zimbabwe in 2016 in Harare, Sran ensured he would do most of the damage with the ball.
Sran removed Chibhabha in the third over of the innings, and that was followed by a flurry of wickets in the fifth over. Sran never gave the batters time to settle, rattling the batting lineup to get rid of Hamilton Masakadza, Sikandar Raza and Tinotenda Mutombodzi in the same over.
All Zimbabwe could manage was 99/9 from 20 overs, and KL Rahul (47 not out) and Mandeep Singh (52 not out) ensured that India would chase down with all 10 wickets to spare.
Navdeep Saini
One of the much recent entrants to this list, Navdeep Saini made his T20I debut against West Indies at Lauderhill in 2019.
It was a disappointing scorecard for West Indies, but Saini made the most use of his four overs.
Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the T20Is, so this was a chance for Saini to step up.
Saini struck twice in the fifth over to dismiss Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer off the last two deliveries to get a chance for a hat-trick. While Pooran was caught by the keeper, falling to Saini’s short ball at off-stump, Hetmyer went for a golden duck as Saini cleaned up the batter.
Hat-trick on debut, was not meant to be for Saini, but he did produce the finishing touch with the wicket of Kieron Pollard in the last over, who was struck LBW.
Windies managed just 95/9 but India would not have it easy, losing six wickets in the process of the run-chase.
Harshal Patel
His slower balls were effective throughout IPL 2021, and Harshal Patel continued with his slower balls on his T20I debut against New Zealand later that year.
File image of Harshal Patel. AP
Harshal was introduced in the seventh over of the match, but it wasn’t until the 12th over that he would relish his moment — a maiden T20I wicket on debut.
Slower delivery is Harshal’s weapon in this format, and he did exactly that, delivering a length ball as Daryl Mitchell chipped straight down the ground, Suryakumar Yadav sealing the deal with a catch at long-on.
Harshal is considered as a death-overs specialist and he returned in the 17th over. Once again, a slower ball into leg, Harshal forced Glenn Phillips to the pull shot, and as a result, he found the deep square leg fielder.
Later, KL Rahul (65) and Rohit Sharma (55) would contribute to India’s seven-wicket win to seal the match.
Ravi Bishnoi
On any day, young Ravi Bishnoi can decimate the opposition with his googlies, and he did just that on his T20I debut.
Bishnoi was handed the India cap by Yuzvendra Chahal before the contest, and he got the opportunity to deliver right away as India opted to bowl.
Ravi Bishnoi with the Man of the Match award on Wednesday. Sportzpics
He was first introduced in the eighth over, and while he went for just four runs in his first over, his dream moment came in the 11th over, when he got rid of Roston Chase.
Chase was struck plumb LBW, and it was only a matter of a few balls before Bishnoi struck again, with the wicket of Rovman Powell, who was caught by the fielder at wide long-on.
The Windies managed 157/7, but Suryakumar Yadav (34 not out) and Venkatesh Iyer (24 not out) ensured that India would chase this down with six wickets in hand.
However, Bishnoi was the star of the night, and courtesy his deceptive googlies that produced India the wickets, that earned him a Man of the Match award, becoming the eighth Indian cricketer to win the award on T20I debut.
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