1.Ajaz Patel – 10/119 vs. India (2021)

Ajaz Patel’s performance in December 2021 against India was nothing short of extraordinary. Playing in the second Test of the series in Mumbai, Patel achieved figures of 10/119 in a single innings. His spell included all ten wickets, making him only the third bowler in Test history to accomplish this feat. Patel’s remarkable performance was a display of exceptional spin bowling and precision, securing his place in cricket’s record books.

ALSO READ:

2.Rashid Khan – 7/137 vs. India (2018)

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan made an immediate impact in June 2018 during the one-off Test against India. With figures of 7/137, Khan demonstrated his skill as a leg-spinner, challenging one of the world’s best batting line-ups. His performance was notable for its control and variation, underscoring why he is regarded as one of the leading spinners in modern cricket.

3.Chetan Sharma – 6/50 vs. Pakistan (1986)

Indian pacer Chetan Sharma had a memorable debut in 1986 against Pakistan. His figures of 6/50 in the Mohali Test played a crucial role in India’s victory. Sharma’s ability to swing the ball both ways and his disciplined approach helped dismantle the Pakistani batting order and set the stage for his future success.

4.Nantie Hayward – 5/36 vs. Australia (1997)

South Africa’s Nantie Hayward announced himself on the international stage with his debut performance against Australia in 1997. His figures of 5/36 were instrumental in South Africa’s victory in that Test. Hayward’s pace and bounce were effective against a formidable Australian lineup, showcasing his potential as a future star.

5.Shane Warne – 5/36 vs. India (1992)

Shane Warne’s debut against India in 1992 was a defining moment for spin bowling. His figures of 5/36 in the Melbourne Test highlighted his exceptional talent and control. Warne’s debut was the beginning of an illustrious career that would see him become one of the greatest leg-spinners in cricket history.

6.Bishan Singh Bedi – 5/34 vs. West Indies (1967)

Indian spinner Bishan Singh Bedi made an impressive debut in 1967 against the West Indies. His figures of 5/34 showcased his classical spin technique and control. Bedi’s performance set the tone for a distinguished career, solidifying his reputation as one of India’s finest spinners.

7.Muttiah Muralitharan – 7/97 vs. Australia (1992)

Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan made a striking debut against Australia in 1992, with figures of 7/97. His unconventional bowling style and remarkable control were evident from the start. Muralitharan’s debut was the beginning of an illustrious career that would eventually see him become the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket history.

8.Gus Fraser – 6/51 vs. Australia (1994)

English fast bowler Gus Fraser made a notable debut in 1994 against Australia at the Gabba. His figures of 6/51 helped England gain an upper hand in the Test. Fraser’s performance demonstrated his ability to extract bounce and movement, setting the stage for a successful international career.

9.James Anderson – 5/73 vs. Zimbabwe (2003)

James Anderson made a memorable debut in 2003 against Zimbabwe, claiming 5/73. His performance was marked by his ability to swing the ball both ways and maintain control. Anderson’s debut was the start of a storied career that would see him become one of England’s most successful fast bowlers.

10.Saeed Ajmal – 7/55 vs. India (2009)

Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal made an impressive debut in 2009 against India. His figures of 7/55 highlighted his exceptional spin bowling skills and ability to outfox the batsmen. Ajmal’s performance was a clear indicator of the impact he would have in international cricket.

The post Unforgettable First Impressions: The Best Bowling Figures on Test Debut appeared first on Cricket Country.

Agarkar, who was the assistant coach of the Delhi Capitals stepped down from the post and will now take over as chairman of the selection committee.

According to a report by PTI, the BCCI is expected to eliminate the zonal process and appoint Ajit Agarkar as a member of the selection committee.

“The CAC has the mandate to pick a selector who can stand up to the high profile team management in case there are differences,” a BCCI official told PTI.

Whereas according to reports in Indian Express Agarkar is promised by BCCI to increase the annual salary which is currently Rs 1 crore.

Agarkar left Delhi Capitals

On Thursday Delhi Capitals announced that assistant coaches Ajit Agarkar and Shane Watson left the side right after 2023 IPL season ended.

“You will always have a place to call home here. Thank You, Ajit and Watto, for your contributions. All the very best for your future endeavours,” DC tweeted.

You’ll always have a place to call home here ?

Thank You, Ajit and Watto, for your contributions. All the very best for your future endeavours ?#YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/n25thJeB5B

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) June 29, 2023

Agarkar joined the franchise as an assistant coach in February 2022, with Watson coming in a month later. During their time at Delhi, the franchise didn’t manage to make it to the playoffs in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

The 45-year-old has played 26 Tests, 191 ODIs and 4 T20s for India. He was a part of the Delhi Capitals’ support staff in the recently held IPL.

The post Ajit Agarkar Set To Become BCCI’s Chief Selector: Reports appeared first on Cricket Country.

Months after former national selection committee chairman Chetan Sharma resigned from his post, the BCCI started accepting applications for the vacant spot. Many assumed that Sehwag could be an ideal candidate, based on several reports and rumours. But after his exit, Shiva Sunder Das took over the job, comprising S Sharath (south), Subroto Banerjee (central), and Salil Ankola (west).

On Thursday, BCCI invited applications for the North Zone post. To apply for the post, an individual needs to play either seven Tests or 10 ODIs or at least 30 first-class matches with five years of retirement from active cricket.

Sehwag was again in the news as he was speculated to take up the post, but he finally broke the silence and denied all the rumours. He clearly stated that he was not approached for any chief selector’s post by The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Chetan Sharma Open To Reapply

Chetan’s committee was sacked after the T20 World Cup debacle but he reapplied, and was reappointed, when the new panel took over in December last year.

However, the sting operation made his position untenable and he was asked to resign after most members of the Indian team didn’t want to sit across the table with him.

“Technically, Chetan can apply if he wants to as he had resigned. Obviously, whether he would apply or not is a big question but rules can’t stop him from applying once again,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on the condition of anonymity.

The post Virender Sehwag Clears Air Over Rumors Of Being Approached For Chief Selector’s Post appeared first on Cricket Country.

Sharma had also disclosed that former captain Kohli and former BCCI president Ganguly had an ego dispute. He also stated that, despite being 80% to 85% fit, many players take injections to speed up their return to competitive cricket.

The former cricketer also claimed that he and the team’s management disagreed about whether Bumrah would return from a stress fracture in time for the September T20I series against Australia.

He also said that the BCCI used to give opportunities to younger players in the T20I game in order to “rest” big players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Hardik Pandya is the team’s future captain and will succeed Rohit in the long run.

He admitted that he gave chances to 15 to 20 team members, including Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Arshdeep Singh, and Deepak Hooda.

There were rumors that he might be removed from his position as chief selector shortly after his revelations. Based on the initial inputs, it has occurred and he has carried it out himself.

The post Chetan Sharma Resigns As BCCI Chief Selector Following Sting Operation appeared first on Cricket Country.

The immediate question doing the rounds in the BCCI is whether he would be allowed to attend the next selection committee meeting before the squad of the third and fourth Test against Australia is announced.

It is understood that Chetan being caught in a sting operation hasn’t gone down too well with the top brass of the BCCI but the incident might have a far reaching impact on the relationship between media on one hand and the Indian team and selectors on the other.

“No player or selector will be comfortable on sharing a cordial relationship even with well meaning journalists after this sting as the trust factor has been compromised,” a senior BCCI source PTI on conditions of anonymity.

While Chetan’s claims are mostly been taken as loose talk and stuff that was already known in cricket fraternity, he had certainly lost trust and respect of the players.

“Chetan spoke a bit too much. None of the top India players talk to him. Have you seen him speak to Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma publicly in any training session. He would stand in one corner during T20 World Cup in Australia and no one bothered to speak to him,” another BCCI source who was present in Australia said.

It has been learnt that Chetan might be given a chance to defend himself but whether he would be able to sit across the table with Rohit Sharma or Hardik Pandya is the question. The bigger question is whether the players would want to have any engagement with him.

The post Have You Seen Rohit, Kohli Or Dravid Talk To Chetan Sharma? BCCI Official On Chetan Sharma’s Relationship With Players appeared first on Cricket Country.

BCCI Cheif Selector also made some shocking revelations about players like Jasprit Bumrah, he mentioned that was  Jasprit was injured during T20 series but he hid his pain to be in the team.

“He came in as a fit player but before the 2nd match of the series, Bumrah’s pain aggravated but he hid it just to keep himself in the T20 World Cup 2022 squad. He was then later on forced to play in the 3rd match and still now he hasn’t recovered”, Chetan Sharma told ZEE News.

Indian pacer had an injury in his back ahead of the Asia Cup but seems to have fully recovered after a long rest and undergoing intense rehabilitation at the NCA. During India vs Sri Lanka series in December, Bumrah was not included in the Indian squad with reports saying that the BCCI was not keen on rushing the India pacer.

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee has included pacer Jasprit Bumrah in India’s ODI squad for the upcoming Mastercard 3-match ODI series against Sri Lanka,” the BCCI stated in a release.

“Bumrah was out of cricketing action since September 2022 and was also ruled out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup due to a back injury. The pacer has undergone rehabilitation and has been declared fit by the National Cricket Academy (NCA). He will be joining the Team India ODI squad soon.” BCCI added

The post Jasprit Bumrah’s Pain Aggravated But He Hid It Just To Keep Himself In WC squad: Chetan Sharma appeared first on Cricket Country.

Sharma, who was recently reinstated by the BCCI after being removed following India’s showing in the T20 World Cup in Australia, was seen during the sting operation casting aspersions on players like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. Sharma also allegedly revealed his internal discussions with head coach Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli during the sting conducted by Zee News.

Sharma alleged that a lot of players take injections to expedite their return to competitive cricket despite being 80 to 85 per cent fit.

The former India pace bowler also alleged that there was a difference of opinion between him and the team management over Bumrah’s return from a stress fracture for the T20I series against Australia in September.

Bumrah still continues to be out of action, and will likely miss the entire four-Test Border-Gavaskar series and the three-match ODI series after that.

Sharma also alleged that there was an ego tussle between former captain Kohli and former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.

Sharma was unavailable for a comment when contacted by PTI.

It is learnt that the BCCI is looking into the matter, as national selectors are bound by contract and not supposed to speak to the media.

“It will be (BCCI secretary) Jay’s (Shah) call as to what will be Chetan’s future. The question is whether T20 skipper Hardik Pandya or ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma would like to sit with Chetan in a selection meeting knowing that he has let out internal discussions,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The post BCCI Set To Sack Chetan Sharma After Stunning Sting Operation – Report appeared first on Cricket Country.

Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly came face to face during a massive controversy where Virat said that he was informed about being removed as India captain hours before the team’s departure to South Africa while Ganguly contradicted his claims saying that he was asked to stay as T20I captain and informed that if he quits T20I captaincy, BCCI will name a new captain as the board is not in favour of split captaincy.

Sharma said that Virat Kohli was not true in the press conference, saying that Ganguly did ask Kohli to stay as T20I captain. Chetan also said that Ganguly was not in favour of Rohit Sharma but he didn’t like Virat Kohli.

‘Ganguly gave a statement somewhere that Virat Kohli was telling us that he wanted to give up the captaincy I had told him that he should not give up the captaincy. This he told the media. On the other hand, Virat said in the media that the president never told me this (not to give up T20 captaincy). So that became a big controversy,’ Sharma said in the sting operation conducted by Zee News.

‘He (Ganguly) said it, he told him to think about it once. Maybe Kohli didn’t hear it because there were nine others there (in the online video conference) including myself and all other selectors, all the BCCI officials, Virat might not have heard him or I don’t know why Virat did that.’

“Ganguly did not favour Rohit but he never liked Virat. You can put it this way.”

Meanwhile, amidst the controversy, an old post of Virat Kohli is going viral on social media. “Karma! life is like a boomerang, what you give, you get, the post read.’

#ViratKohli tell this long before ??

KARMA⌛️⏳️#GameOver#BCCIPolitics pic.twitter.com/cUcZXkRKFp

— Virat?Rocky✨️ (@Virat_Rocky18) February 14, 2023

Sharma also said that Virat Kohli thinks he is bigger than the game.’When a player becomes a little big, he thinks he is very big, bigger than the Board and he believes no one can touch him. Without me, Indian cricket won’t work. Has this ever happened?

‘Many big players have come and gone but cricket is still there. So that time he tried to directly target the BCCI president but Ganguly had never told me all that, so that came a big issue.’

The post What You Give, You Get: Virat Kohli’s Instagram Post Goes Viral After Chetan Sharma’s ‘Ganguly Didn’t Like Kohli’ Claim appeared first on Cricket Country.

Notably, Virat Kohli had done a fiery press conference after being sacked as India ODI skipper saying that he was told about being removed as India captain hours before the team’s departure to South Africa while Ganguly said that Kohli was asked to stay as T20I captain but when he refused BCCI informed him that the board is not in favour of split captaincy. Sharma sided with Ganguly and said that Kohli was lying in the press conference.

‘Ganguly gave a statement somewhere that Virat Kohli was telling us that he wanted to give up the captaincy I had told him that he should not give up the captaincy. This he told the media.On the other hand, Virat said in the media that the president never told me this (not to give up T20 captaincy). So that became a big controversy,’ Sharma said in the sting operation conducted by Zee News.

‘He (Ganguly) said it, he told him to think about it once. Maybe Kohli didn’t hear it because there were nine others there (in the online video conference) including myself and all other selectors, all the BCCI officials, Virat might not have heard him or I don’t know why Virat did that.’

When probed if Virat lied, Sharma replied: ‘I don’t know, Virat will know. What was the need for Virat to say all that? As a captain he was going to South Africa, and the press conference was there to talk about the team, he didn’t need to bring up this topic but Virat deliberately brought up this topic.’

‘The truth is that that he (Ganguly) did tell him. 8-9 people were there, and Ganguly told him (not to give up captaincy). Virat was lying, but no one knows why… and that is his personal matter, but it became a huge controversy. It became a Board versus player clash.’

Sharma further added that a few players think they are bigger than the game. ‘When a player becomes a little big, he thinks he is very big, bigger than the Board and he believes no one can touch him. Without me, Indian cricket won’t work. Has this ever happened?

‘Many big players have come and gone but cricket is still there. So that time he tried to directly target the BCCI president but Ganguly had never told me all that, so that came a big issue.’

The post Virat Kohli Thinks He Is Bigger Than The Game: Chief Selector Chetan Sharma’s Massive Reveal On Camera appeared first on Cricket Country.

However, one of the most shocking revelations was his confirmation of the internal rift between Rohit and Virat. However, as per Chetan, it wasn’t as major as depicted in media and social media.

He said “There is no battle between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma but there is ego. Both are like big film stars you can say, Amitabh Bachan and Dharmendra.”

Chetan Sharma then went on and talked about the future of Team India in the shortest format of the game. He even spoke on the future leadership in the T20I format and said in the T20I format, strong starters like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are given “rest” to give Shubman Gill an opportunity. He stated that Hardik Pandya would take over as captain in the long run and that Rohit Sharma would no longer be a part of the T20I setup

He also revealed how he helped some young guys get their place inside the Indian cricket team and said “I brought in the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Shubman Gill and other 15-20 players in the team.”

The post There Is No Battle Between Virat And Rohit But There Is Ego: Chetan Sharma Confirms Virat Kohli Vs Rohit Sharma Dispute appeared first on Cricket Country.