Starting with Jason Krejza and continuing with Tom Hartley, India’s problems with rookie spinners. On Day 4 of the Hyderabad Test, Tom Hartley bowled the second-best spell of any English spinner in his debut Test match, sweeping through the Indian batting order.
The left-arm spinner at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium concluded with numbers of 26.2-5-62-7. The match was won by the Three Lions by 28 runs thanks to the tweaker’s excellent 231 defense.
Hartley had taken two wickets in the opening innings, but his breakthroughs came from bowling out of skins. Despite Ollie Pope’s game-winning 196-run innings earning him the Player of the Match award, Hartley left his imprint with an incredible bowling performance.
Let us examine the other spinners who made their debuts and gave the Indian hitters a real fight for their money.
2008 saw Jason Krejza
The record for the most wickets a spinner has taken against India on debut is held by Jason Krejza. At the VCA Stadium in Nagpur, the Australian off-break bowler concluded with match figures of 74.5-4-358-12.
With numbers of 43.5-1-215-8 in the first innings, he finished against India with the best bowling stats ever recorded by a spinner.
However, Krejza’s heroic efforts were in naught as India defeated Australia by a margin of 172 runs. After Krejza won the magical spell Player of the Match award, his performance was not forgotten. In 50.2 overs, Australia was bowled out for 209 after setting a score of 382.
In 2023, Todd Murphy
Todd Murphy had an effect with the ball during Australia’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour of India.
Once more, an Australian spinner caused India to perspire in Nagpur. India amassed 400 runs in the first innings and gained a 223-run lead. Murphy, though, made sure to rule supremely.
At the VCA Stadium, Murphy finished with scores of 47-12-124-7. Even with his incredible bowling performance, Australia was defeated by an innings and 132 runs.
The Indian spin combo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin was too strong for the Australian hitters to handle.
Durjoy, Naimur Rahman (2000)
Naimur Rahman Durjoy of Bangladesh bowled a superb stint against India back in 2020 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. He concluded with stats of 44.3-9-132-6 in Bangladesh’s first-ever Test match, as the Tigers let India to take a lead of just 29 at the end of the first innings.
His spell did not, however, pay off as India won the match by a total of nine wickets. After taking five wickets and scoring 92 runs, Sunil Joshi easily won Player of the Match.
2008’s Ajantha Mendis
When Ajantha Mendis made his Sri Lankan debut in the Test match against India at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, he was at the height of his abilities.
After the hosts won the match by an innings and 239 runs, the spinner received accolades. Mendis recorded 45.5-8-132-8 match numbers.
He finished with stats of 27.5-5-72-4 after taking the wickets of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, and Zaheer Khan in the first innings.
After that, he assisted Sri Lanka in dismissing India for 138 with incredible figures of 18-3-60-4. Mendis proceeded to take 70 wickets in 19 Test matches, including four five-wicket hauls.
