India is famously known for producing phenomenal batsmen as well as great captains. Over the years, India has seen great batsmen and captains like MS Dhoni, Kapil Dev, K Srikkanth, etc taking the country to new glories. However, not all of these captains got off to a flying start in their ODI career. Today we will take a look at 5 Indian ODI captains who scored a duck on debut in ODIs.
#1. MS Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is arguably the greatest captain of all time. He led India to multiple ICC tournament victories under his captaincy. Throughout his career, Dhoni made his name as an explosive batsman and played the role of a finisher in the team.
However, his ODI career started on a poor note. Dhoni made his debut against Bangladesh in 2004. He got run out without scoring a single run and managed to play only a single ball. India won the match by 11 runs.
#2. Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar is widely considered as the greatest batsman of all time. He also captained the Indian team for a short period of time. Sachin is proof that even the greatest cricketers can have the worst of starts. Tendulkar made his debut against arch-rivals Pakistan in India’s tour of Pakistan in 1989.
Tendulkar got out for a duck on debut as Pakistan’s fast bowler’s bundled out India for 80 in a rain-hit affair. India lost the match by 7 runs. However, as history is witness, Tendulkar became an all-time great of the sport over the years.
#3. K Srikkanth
K Srikkanth is one of the most iconic Indian cricketers the sport has seen. An attacking batsman, Srikkanth played a crucial role in India’s 1983 World Cup triumph. He was a great captain, and it was under his leadership that Sachin made his debut as mentioned above. Srikkanth also bowled regularly for India, and took 25 wickets, with two 5-wicket hauls.
Srikkanth made his ODI debut against England in November 1981 in Ahmedabad. He faced 10 balls before he got out for a duck. In his illustrious career, Srikkanth scored 4,091 runs from 146 innings. He retired in March 1992 against South Africa, bringing down the curtains on an 11-year career.
#4. Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan was recently announced as the captain for the Indian team against Sri Lanka in July. He made a huge impact on his Test debut, scoring 187 in his very first innings. However, his ODI debut wasn’t so perfect.
Dhawan made his ODI debut against Australia in 2010 at Vishakhapatnam. He got clean bowled by Clint Mckay on the second ball of the innings and got a duck on debut. But despite losing an opener so early, India pulled through and won the match by 5 wickets, thanks to Kohli’s brilliant century. A poor start didn’t deter Dhawan, and he is now a permanent fixture in the team’s setup.
#5. Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina recently announced his retirement from international cricket alongside MS Dhoni last year. Raina won many matches for India in his career and is a phenomenal limited-overs cricketer. But it was not all hunky-dory for the talented left-handed batsman.
Raina made his ODI debut a long time ago, back in 2005 against Sri Lanka. However, it was a bad outing for the rookie as got out first ball. Raina got out LBW by legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan on his very first ball. But this didn’t deter him in the long run, as Raina soon became a regular in the Indian team.
