Best Bowling Figures By India Pacers On T20I Debut Ft Prince Yadav

Best bowling figures on debuts by Indians [Source: AFP, BCCI/x]

Fast bowlers often get just one opportunity to make a strong first impression in international cricket, and a memorable debut spell can instantly put them on the map. Over the years, several Indian pacers have announced themselves in style by producing some exceptional bowling spells in their maiden T20I appearances.

Here, we take a look at five best performances by Indian fast bowlers on their T20I debuts, after Prince Yadav steamrolled Ireland in Belfast in June 2026.

5. 3/22 – Prince Yadav vs Ireland, Belfast, 2026, Today*

Indian fast bowler Prince Yadav made his T20I debut in the second match of his team’s short tour of Ireland in June 2026. Bowling alongside fellow pacemen Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, Yadav struck early with the wicket of Irish skipper Lorcan Tucker. 

The speedster added two more wickets to his tally in a tight final over to restrict Ireland to 154-8 from 20 overs. Overall, the 24-year-old had both Tucker and Harry Tector caught behind stumps, and deceived tailender Liam McCarthy with a slow delivery to grab sensational four-over figures of 3-28. 

4. 3/17 – Navdeep Saini vs West Indies, Lauderhill, 2019 

Team India discard Navdeep Saini made his international debut way back in August 2019 during a tour of West Indies. Included in the first T20I of the tour, the speedster bagged the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his exceptional match-winning spell of 3-17 from his four overs. 

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Saini even delivered one maiden as India restricted West Indies to just 95-9 upfront. The fast bowler dismissed dangermen Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer off successive deliveries in his opening spell, before trapping Kieron Pollard in the final over.

3. 3/9 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Pakistan, Bengaluru, 2012 

Champion Indian fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar decimated arch-rivals Pakistan in his debut international game itself, doing so in Bengaluru back in December 2012. Opening the bowling for India, Kumar knocked over Pakistan opener Nasir Jamshed, and also got Ahmed Shahzad nicking towards then Indian captain MS Dhoni behind the stumps.

Four deliveries later, the fast bowler bulldozed Umar Akmal for a four-ball duck as his opening spell devastated Pakistan at 12-3 in the powerplay overs. The speedster himself finished with exceptional figures of 3-9. However, lack of bowling assistance from others allowed Pakistan to secure a comfortable win. 

2. 4/22 – Shivam Mavi vs Sri Lanka, Mumbai (Wankhede), 2023 

Shivam Mavi played only six T20Is for India, all in the space of a month back in early 2023 to bag seven wickets at an average of 17.57. The speedster snared four of those wickets in his debut game itself, against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium. 

Mavi struck with the new ball by dismissing Pathum Nissanka and Dhananjaya de Silva, and also curtailed Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana’s resistance to finish with figures of 4-22. His spell also helped India escape with a thrilling two-run win. 

1. 4/10 – Barinder Sran vs Zimbabwe, Harare, 2016 

Barinder Sran got off to an impressive start in his T20I career for India back in June 2016. Touring Zimbabwe for a series, the fast bowler claimed four wickets at an expense of just 10 runs from his four overs, restricting the hosts to just 99-9 from 20 overs in Harare. 

After going wicketless in his first over, Sran struck four times over the course of his next two overs to reduce Zimbabwe to 35-4 by the end of the powerplay. His victims were four of Zimbabwe’s top five batters, namely Chamu Chibhabha, Hamilton Masakadza and Sikandar Raza among others. 

India ended up winning the match comfortably by 10 wickets with 41 balls to spare. 

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