List of India cricketers who have taken five-wicket hauls on Test debut

Members of the 1932 Indian Test cricket team that visited England.
The Indian Test team that toured England in 1932

In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer")[1][2] refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. A five-wicket haul on debut is regarded by critics as a notable achievement.[3][4] As of January 2024, 170 cricketers have taken a five-wicket haul on Test match debut,[5] out of which nine are from the India national cricket team. The five-wicket hauls were taken against four different opponents – three each against Australia and West Indies, twice against England, and once Pakistan. The nine occasions have resulted in five wins, two losses and two draws. The five-wicket hauls were taken at eight different venues, six in India, three of which were taken at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

The first Indian to take a five-wicket haul was Mohammad Nissar who took 5 wickets for 93 runs during India's first Test, in June 1932 against England.[a][7] Vaman Kumar, a leg spinner, was the next to achieve this feat. His figures of 5 wickets for 64 runs took India close to winning a match against Pakistan during the latter's tour of India in 1960–61.[8][9] In December 1967, Syed Abid Ali took 6 wickets for 55 runs against Australia. The figures remain the best by an Indian fast bowler on debut.[10] Narendra Hirwani's 8 wickets for 61 runs against the West Indies, in January 1988, are the best bowling figures by an Indian on Test debut.[b] His aggregate of 16 wickets for 136 runs in the match are a record for any bowler on debut. As of February 2021, he is the only Indian cricketer to take ten or more wickets in a Test match on debut.[12]

The most recent Indian cricketer to achieve this feat was Axar Patel, who took 5 wickets for 60 runs against England in February 2021. India won the match by 317 runs.[13] Nissar, Ali and Shami are the only fast bowlers to achieve this feat, with rest of the six being spin bowlers.[14]

  1. ^ Buckle, Greg (30 April 2007). "Pigeon's almost perfect sendoff". Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 15 August 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2009. McGrath didn't get the five-for that he had hoped for...
  2. ^ "Swinging it for the Auld Enemy – An interview with Ryan Sidebottom". The Scotsman. 17 August 2008. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2009. ... I'd rather take fifers (five wickets) for England ...
  3. ^ Shetty, Disha (27 September 2014). "Wahab Riaz, and strength in adversity". Wisden India. FW Sports and Media India Private Limited. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  4. ^ "2011 – A great year for debutant bowlers". CNN-IBN. 30 December 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  5. ^ "Bowling records:Test matches". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Only Test: England v India at Lord's, Jun 25–28, 1932". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  7. ^ "First Test match, Lord's – England v India 1932". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  8. ^ Heinrich, Scott (28 February 2005). "Pakistan in India – a retrospective". BBC. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  9. ^ Ramchand, Partab. "Vaman Kumar". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  10. ^ Jayaraman, Shiva (6 November 2013). "Bhuvneshwar has Gayle's number". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Records / Test matches / Bowling records / Best figures in a innings on debut". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 30 July 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  12. ^ "Records / Test matches / Bowling records / Best figures in a match on debut". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  13. ^ "2nd Test, Chennai, Feb 13 - Feb 16 2021, England tour of India". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Statistics / Test matches / Bowling records". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2021.


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