Only Indians to make their all-format debut on a single tour
The Indian cricket team is the most widely followed team cricket team in the world as they get good support all over the world. Among the millions of fans of the ‘Men in Blue’, there are thousands to dream of playing the sport one day and representing their team at the highest level. While some cricketers have to wait for a long time to make their debut in all three formats of the game despite performing consistently, few end up making their debut in one tour only. In Indian cricket history, there have been only two players to have achieved the feat. Let’s take a look at these two players:
1. Thangarasu Natarajan
Thangarasu Natrajan got his maiden India call-up during India’s tour to Australia in 2020-21. The 29-year-old first made his ODI debut on December 02, 2020, in Canberra. The Salem-born cricketer impressed everyone with his death bowling and picked up 2/70 in 10 overs to help India win the match by 13 runs.
Natarajan made his T20I debut during the first T20I of the tour played at the same venue and registered magnificent bowling figures of 3/30 in four overs. The left-arm spinner also got the honour of representing India in the longest format of the game at the historic Brisbane Test in January 2021 and made a valuable contribution of three important wickets in India’s sensational victory.
2. Mukesh Kumar
The Bihar-born seamer got his maiden India call-up for the three-match ODI series against South Africa in October 2022. However, he could not find a place in the Playing XI. However, Kumar’s stars aligned during India’s tour to the West Indies in 2023 as he made his international debut donning the whites in the second Test of the tour in Port of Spain. The 29-year-old picked up two wickets across both innings as rain forced the game to end in a draw.
Kumar donned the Blues for the first time in the first ODI of the series and bowled an economical spell of 1/22 in five overs to help his side to 1-0 up. Six days later, the right-arm seamer represented the country in the shortest format of the game but failed to pick up a wicket as he gave away 24 runs in three overs he bowled in the first T20I against West Indies in Trinidad. Unfortunately, India lost the match by four runs and Kumar had a game to forget on his T20I debut
