First wicket holds a special importance for every bowler and if it is at the international level, then it becomes more special but today we are going to tell you about some Indian bowlers who were fortunate enough to get their first wicket on the very first ball of their career that they bowled in a particular cricket format.
These Indians Got A Wicket On Their First Ball-
1. Nilesh Kulkarni:
The Mumbai cricketer made his debut at the international level under the captaincy of Sachin Tendulkar but his career was short-lived as he played only 3 test matches and 10 ODIs for the country in which he took 2 and 11 wickets, respectively.
Nilesh Kulkarni made his test debut in August 1997 against Sri Lanka and in the same match, Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene also made his international debut. Nilesh Kulkarni dismissed Marvan Atapattu on the very first ball that he bowled in his international test career and till date, he is the only Indian bowler to take a wicket on first ball of the career in the longest format.
2. Sadagoppan Ramesh:
The former cricketer who played for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket has also acted in some movies and he is the first Indian cricketer to take a wicket on the first ball of his career in the ODIs. Sadagoppan Ramesh made his debut in the year 1999 and in the third match of Coca-Cola Singapore Challenge which India played against West Indies, Ramesh dismissed Nixon McLean on the first ball of his ODI career. Sadagoppan Ramesh played 19 test matches and 24 ODIs in which he scored 1367 runs and 646 runs, respectively. His first wicket was the only wicket that he took in his career.
3. Ajit Agarkar:
The current chief selector of the Indian cricket team is the first Indian bowler to take a wicket on the first ball of his T20I career and he achieved this feat on the very first T20I match played by India. In 2006, India toured South Africa and India played only one T20I match in which Ajit Agarkar dismissed Herschelle Gibbs on his first ball of the match after he was asked to bowl by the skipper Virender Sehwag. Though Ajit Agarkar was a part of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning squad, he has played only 4 T20Is in his career in which he has taken only 3 wickets. He has also represented India in 26 test matches and 191 ODIs in which he has taken 58 and 288 wickets, respectively.
4. Pragyan Ojha:
Pragyan Ojha, the former Indian spinner is the second Indian bowler to take a wicket on the first ball of his T20I career and he achieved this feat against Bangladesh in the match which was played at Nottingham in the 2009 ICC T20 World Cup. In that match, Pragyan Ojha took 4 wickets for 21 runs in his 4 overs and helped his team in winning the match by 25 runs. He was also adjudged as the Man of the Match for his superb bowling performance. Pragyan Ojha played 24 test matches, 18 ODIs and 6 T20Is in which he took 113 wickets, 21 wickets and 10 wickets, respectively.
5. Virat Kohli:
Though we know Virat Kohli more as a batter, he has also bowled few times and he is the third and the last Indian cricketer to take a wicket on the first ball of his T20I career. He dismissed Kevin Pietersen in a T20I match which India played against England at Manchester in 2011. Till date, Virat Kohli has played 111 test matches, 275 ODIs and 115 T20Is in which he has taken total 8 wickets (4 in ODIs and 4 in T20Is).
6. Bhuvneshwar Kumar:
The Indian pacer who is currently out of the Indian squad is the sixth Indian cricketer to take a wicket on his first delivery in a particular format and he is the second one to achieve this feat in the ODIs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar achieved this feat against the arch-rivals Pakistan when the Pakistani team visited India in the year 2012. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has played 21 test matches, 121 ODIs and 87 T20Is in which he has taken 63, 141 and 90 wickets, respectively.
