Whenever a bowler bowls a maiden over, it shows their control over the ball, not giving an inch to the batters to score runs.
Earning maidens is a regular sight in Test cricket but not so common in limited-overs cricket, especially in T20Is. But some bowlers showed how it’s done in T20Is, and that too on their career debuts.
Some Indian bowlers have achieved this rare feat on their T20I debuts. And here is a list of the Indian bowlers who bowled their first over as maiden on their T20I debut.
1. Ajit Agarkar vs South Africa | Johannesburg, 2006
On December 1, 2006, former seamer Ajit Agarkar became the first-ever bowler to earn a maiden in his first over of his T20I career. He debuted in a one-off T20I against South Africa, which was also India’s first-ever match in the shortest format.
Agarkar came into the attack in the sixth over, which he started with a wicket of Herschelle Gibbs. Justin Kemp came to the crease and faced the next 5 balls without scoring a run.
Agarkar had a sweet debut, bagging 2 wickets for 10 runs in 2.3 overs, though he featured in only 4 T20Is.
2. Arshdeep Singh vs England | Southampton, 2022
Arshdeep Singh joined Agarkar on this list after almost 16 years. The left-hand pacer made his T20I debut against England on July 7, 2022.
Defending the 199-run target, former T20I captain Rohit Sharma handed the ball to Arshdeep in the second over. And he didn’t give a lot of room to Jason Roy to deliver a maiden over, though his fourth ball cost India 2 leg bye runs.
Fortunately, leg byes are credited towards the bowling team account rather than the bowlers. Arshdeep wrapped up his debut with 2 wickets for 18 runs in 3.3 overs, helping India win by 50 runs.
3. Mayank Yadav vs Bangladesh | Gwalior, 2024
Mayank Yadav is the latest entrant on this list, becoming only the third Indian to send down a maiden first over on his T20I debut.
The young pacer had already impressed everyone with his searing fast spells in the IPL 2024. He clocked over 150 kmph in the league, leaving batters, experts, and fans awestruck.
Mayank, just like his bowling, got fast-tracked into the Indian squad and made his T20I debut against Bangladesh in Gwalior on October 6, 2024.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav introduced him into the attack in the sixth over. Mayank bombarded Towhid Hridoy with his fast deliveries, giving him no chance to score any runs.
Mayank finishes his debut match for India with a wicket while conceding 21 runs in 4 overs.
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