New Delhi: It was nothing short of a dream debut for Manav Sothar as the young left-arm spinner made an immediate impact for India on the second day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan at the Maharaja Yadavendra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Milanpur, New Chandigarh.Captain Shabman Gul Just before tea on the second day, Sathar threw the red cherry and gave the debutant his first spell in Test cricket. It didn’t take long for the 23-year-old to make his mark.Sattar hit a boundary on the fourth ball of his Test career. Abdul Malik attempted a clean sweep but could only manage a top edge, with Mohammad Siraj diving beyond backward square leg to complete a sharp catch.The wicket sparked jubilant celebrations as Sattar claimed his maiden Test scalp. Teammates poured in with hugs and high fives, while the spinner soaked in a moment he will cherish forever.This development was not only monumental but also historic.By striking in the first over of his Test career, Sathar became the eighth Indian cricketer to take a wicket in the first over of his first Test match. Remarkably, he joins a list that spans nearly eight decades and outshines only seven other names in the history of Indian cricket.The exclusive club includes Munto Banerjee (vs West Indies, 1948), Manohar Hardikar (vs West Indies, 1958), Wiman Kumar (vs Pakistan, 1961), Chetan Sharma (vs Pakistan, 1984), WV Raman (vs West Indies, 1988), Nilesh Culnan, 1988, and Nilesh Culnan (1977). (vs. England, 2001).What makes Soother’s feat even more special is that no Indian had achieved the milestone for 25 years since Yohannan dismissed Marcus Trescothick in the first over of his debut against England in 2001.Selected ahead of fellow spin-bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey, Sattar vindicated the team management’s confidence almost immediately. Before the match, he collected Test cap number 319 from senior spinner Kuldeep Yadav, becoming India’s first specialist spin bowling Test debutant since Akshar Patel’s debut in 2021.
To take a wicket in his first over in the Indian Men’s Test
| Player | OPP | The year |
|---|---|---|
| Munto Banerjee. | West Indies | 1948 |
| Manohar Hardikar | West Indies | 1958 |
| And Kumar | Pakistan | 1961 |
| Chetan Sharma | Pakistan | 1984 |
| WV Raman | West Indies | 1988 |
| Nilesh Kulkarni | Sri Lanka | 1997 |
| Tino Yohanan | England | 2001 |
| Believe it or not | Afghanistan | 2026 |
