4 Indian bowlers who took a wicket on their first ball in an ODI Match

Mohammed Siraj gave India a great start during the second ODI versus Sri Lanka on Sunday. The right-arm pacer got the wicket of Pathum Nissanka to land a huge blow to the home side. KL Rahul took an easy catch to give the men in blue the perfect start to the game. 

This is not the first time a bowler has dismissed a batter in the first ball of an ODI match. Indian fans will remember the time when Chaminda Vaas dismissed Sourav Ganguly for a first-ball duck during an ODI series in 1997. 

While many bowlers have done this countless times, not many Indian bowlers have dismissed a batter in the first ball of an ODI. Mohammed Siraj joins a select list of bowlers to join this esteemed league. 

Here are all the occasions when an Indian bowler dismissed a batter in the first ball 

4- Debasis Mohanty versus West Indies -1999 – Singapore 

Former Indian fast bowler Debasis Mohanty was known for his swing and seam in helpful conditions. The former bowler from Odisha became the first ever Indian bowler to take a wicket in the first ball of an ODI match. The incident happened during the Tri-Series in Singapore against the West Indies. Mohanty got the wicket of Ridley Jacobs caught by Nikhil Chopra to give India the perfect start. 

3- Praveen Kumar versus Sri Lanka -2010 – Dambulla 

It was the third game of the Asia Cup 2010 tournament as India took on Sri Lanka. Opening bowler Praveen Kumar had the home fans going quiet as he got the key wicket of Upul Tharanga. The Sri Lankan batter saw his stumps disturbed in the very first ball of the game as the home team were bowled out for mere 170. India won the game by 6 wickets with Virender Sehwag stranded on 99. 

2- Mohammed Siraj versus Sri Lanka -2024- Colombo 

After a tied first game, India were looking to come down hard on the host side. Mohammed Siraj who has a spectacular record against the Island nation got India the first wicket of the day. His gentle away-going ball saw Pathum Nissanka go after it and edge the ball behind KL Rahul. 

Also WATCH: Mohammed Siraj gives India early breakthrough by dismissing Pathum Nissanka

1- Zaheer Khan -4 times – 2001, 2002, 2007, and 2009

Former Indian pace sensation Zaheer Khan holds lots of records with the bat. The left-arm pacer is the only Indian pacer who has dismissed a batter in the first ball of a game on multiple occasions. The first time was when he got the wicket of Matthew Sinclair in Colombo during the Tri-Series match in 2001. 

The second occasion came during the 2002 Champions Trophy final in Colombo where he dismissed Sanath Jayasuriya. Zaheer Khan also dismissed Michael Clarke for a duck in Mumbai during the 2007 series and got Upul Tharanga in the first ball during an ODI match in Delhi in 2009.