Top 5 spells by Indians on debut in T20I cricket

Over the years, we have seen so many legendary cricketers don the India jersey. India is considered the powerhouse of world cricket. Not many of the cricket playing countries can come closer to India.

India were the first one to win an ICC T20 World Cup trophy. The Men in Blue managed to win the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2007. Since then, though they have not repeated the same heroics but have done well overall in the circuit. We have seen the Indian cricketers breaking numerous T20I records and registering their names in the history books.

The Indian team has so many world-class cricketers that it makes the job of the selectors extremely tough to finalise the squad ahead of a series. It makes it a hustle for young Indian cricketers to break into the senior national set-up. It takes a lot of struggle to play a game for India. And once a player gets the golden opportunity to make his debut for India he is bound to be under tremendous pressure.

Possibly that is the reason why very few players manage to battle their nerves and make their international debut incredibly special by delivering a power-packed performance. Let's take a trip down memory lane and reminisce some of the finest performances delivered by Indian players on their T20I debut.

5. Navdeep Saini 3/17 against West Indies

The talented fast bowler from Delhi is a promising prospect. Saini made his T20I debut for India against the West Indies on August 3, 2019 in Florida. The pitch was helpful for the pacers and Saini made full use of the conditions he had on offer. He bowled exceptionally well and put the West Indies batters on the backfoot. 

In his spell of four overs, he dismissed three members of a strong West Indies batting line-up. He got the big wickets of Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard, and Shimron Hetmyer. Saini gave away only 17 runs in his spell and it included a maiden over. His extra pace made him hurry the Windies batters.

Team India ended up winning the game by four wickets and Saini was adjudged the Player of the Match for his exceptional bowling effort. Navdeep has played 11 T20Is since his debut and claimed 13 wickets at an economy of 7.15. He last played a T20I for India against Sri Lanka in July 2021.