What connects Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli? Hint: June 20
Three Indian cricketing legends - Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli - all made their Test debuts on June 20.
FollowOn June 20, 1996, Two youngsters made their debuts in the second Test match of India's tour to England after the tourists lost the first game: Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.Â
Ganguly started his career with a flyer. The then 24-year-old would pick two top-order wickets in England's first innings. On debut, he batted at number 3 and was absolutely brilliant. At the Mecca of Cricket [Lord's], the left-handed batter set the record for most runs in a debut inning, scoring 131 runs before being dismissed. He ended the Test match with another wicket in England's second innings, dismissing the in-form Jack Russell. The game ended in a draw.Â
Ganguly scored another century in the next game as India drew the match and lost the series 1-0. The left-handed batter became a mainstay on the team following his impressive debut series and eventually captained India to some of their best moments, including the 2001 comeback win vs Australia, the 2002 Natwest series win in England, and the 2003 World Cup campaign.
Sourav Ganguly: 113 Tests, 7212 Test Runs, 16 Centuries
Dravid's debut was also an impactful one. Batting at no. 7, the then 23-year-old shared a partnership with Ganguly before batting with the Indian tail and just missing out on a century as he scored 95. Dravid's valuable 95 would give a sizeable lead of 85 runs as the match ended in a draw. Along with Ganguly, Dravid also became a mainstay in India's batting lineup. 'The Wall' became Test cricket's fourth-highest run-scorer and won India many matches with his patience and class.
Rahul Dravid: 164 Tests, 13288 Test Runs, 36 centuries
Fifteen years after Dravid and Ganguly made their Test debut for India, another future cricket legend kickstarted his career on the same day in the game's longest format. Virat Kohli made his Test debut on June 20, 2011, in West Indies after being on the fringes for a while. Things did not start well for the then Delhi youngster as Kohli struggled, scoring 76 runs in 5 innings throughout the series. Thankfully for Kohli, he'd have his breakout series in Australia in the year to jump-start a legendary career. Kohli is regarded as one of the finest all-format batters of his era, and Kohli's captaincy has been influential in famous wins over Australia [2018/19] and England [2021].
Virat Kohli: 101 Tests, 8043 Test runs, 27 centuries
Also read:Â ICC Test Rankings: Joe Root reclaims top position, Virat Kohli remains at 10th spot
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