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Shamar Joseph (Source: Twitter)
It is every cricketer's dream to represent their country in the longest format of the game. Picking up a wicket or scoring some valuable runs on their debut is something he/she can relish for a long time. Meanwhile, it is icing on the cake if a bowler gets a wicket on their first ball. It gives a smashing start to their career and a huge boost going forward.
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Since 1991 only 9 bowlers have managed to take a wicket on the first ball of their Test career and only one Indian is on the list. Let's take a look at five bowlers to take a wicket off the first ball of their career.
5. Nilesh Kulkarni
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Nilesh Kulkarni is the first and the only Indian to take a wicket with his first delivery in red-ball cricket. He achieved this feat in August 1997 in a Test match between India and Sri Lanka. The left-arm spinner got rid of Marvan Atapattu as the Lankan great was caught behind for an individual score of 26 runs.
4. Nathan Lyon
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The legendary Australian spinner Nathan Lyon took his maiden wicket on his very first ball in Test cricket against Sri Lanka on 1 September 2011. With the wicket of wicketkeeper batter Kumar Sangakkara, the 36-year-old off-spinner became the third Australian to achieve this rare feat.
3. Hardus Viljoen
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South African paceman Hardus Viljoen has played just one Test match, but he started his journey with a bang. During England's tour of South Africa in 2016, the right-arm fast-medium bowler dismissed rival skipper Alastair Cook on his very first ball. Interestingly, he hit a boundary on the very first ball he faced.
2. Nijat Masood
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Afghanistan fast bowler Nijat Masood achieved this feat on Day 1 of the one-off Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur in June 2023. The 25-year-old dismissed Bangladesh opener Zakir Hasan for one in the second over of the match.
1. Shamar Joseph
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West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph is the latest entry in this dream list. The right-arm pacer dismissed batting stalwart Steve Smith on Day 1 of the AUS vs WI Test on January 17, 2024. Joseph, who got off to a good start, removed another great Test batter, Marnus Labuschagne, on the same day.