Debutants Making Instant Impression, Not The First Time In Indian Cricket

India's decision to hand out debuts paid dividends once again on Tuesday when all-rounder Krunal Pandya returned with the fastest-ever half-century on ODI debut, against England, here. Pandya'

In Tuesday's first ODI against England, Krunal scored a half-century while pace bowler M. Prasidh Krishna was among wickets, picking the first two of English wickets.

In the early 2000s, India under Sourav Ganguly also blooded many youngsters who eventually became the core of a strong India team that went on to win the 2007 T20 World Cup as well as the 50-over World Cup in 2011 at home.

Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan made their ODI debut in the same match, the pre-quarterfinal against Kenya in the ICC Knockout Trophy, now known as the Champions Trophy. Harbhajan, who had made his debut in Tests and ODIs in 1998 also got into the groove towards the turn of the century.

Before that, Rahul Dravid and Ganguly had made their Test debuts on the 1996 tour of England and performed well to establish themselves as India's batting greats.

However, so many debutants making such an early impression in their careers has rarely happened in Indian cricket before.

A part of the reason is the confidence and preparation provided by the IPL in handling high-pressure situations against world class players. So, when players are handed India caps, they show no nerve and take on opposition with confidence.

"I think a lot has to do with IPL. The fact that they share dressing rooms with international players, they rub shoulders with the best, that complex factor disappears very quickly," Shastri had said while talking about the confidence with which both Gill and Siraj had approached the second Test in Australia in Melbourne.