Test debuts do not come more remarkable than this. A 19-year-old bespectacled Indian leg-spinner caught the eyes of the world in 1988 when, on Test debut, he achieved an incredible feat. His name was Narendra Hirwani.
The man made his Test debut against West Indies in the final Test match of the four-match series in 1988 at Madras.
Batting first, India managed 382 with Kapil Dev smashing a century. However, Hirwani stole the limelight thanks to his eight-wicket haul for 61 runs in the first innings and becoming only the fourth bowler in the history of the game to take eight wickets in an innings on debut. West Indies were bowled out for 184. In the second innings, India made 217 before declaring their innings. Set 416 to win in the second innings, the West Indies side were bowled out for 160 with Hirwani returning with figures of 8/75.
He ended the match with figures of 16/136 and broke the record of Australian cricketer Bob Massie, who had taken 16/137 on his debut in 1972. Till date the record remains unbroken.
In a Test career that spanned 17 matches, Hirwani took 66 wickets and in the One-Day International format, he played 18 games bagging 23 wickets. However, in his first-class career, he took 732 wickets in 167 games.
Hirwani was a force to reckon with on home soil but he lost his magical touch once he started touring abroad. Despite giving West Indies a torrid time on his debut, he was ineffective when India toured there and in the nine Test matches that he played overseas, he could pick only 21 wickets. He lost his place in the side to another leg-spinner Anil Kumble, and the rest, as they say, is history.
