Mitchell Starc Achieves Milestone With First Ball Dismissal Of Yashasvi Jaiswal In Test Match

Mitchell Starc, Australia's fast bowler, matched a notable record by dismissing Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on December 6. This achievement occurred at the Adelaide Oval during a pink-ball Test, where Starc removed Jaiswal for a golden duck with the very first delivery after Rohit Sharma chose to bat.

Starc's dismissal of Jaiswal marked his third instance of taking a wicket with the first ball in a Test match. This feat places him alongside former West Indies pacer Pedro Collins, who also achieved this record three times. The Australian pacer previously dismissed Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne in 2016 and England's Rory Burns during the 2021 Ashes series.

The list of bowlers who have taken wickets with the first ball of a Test includes Mitchell Starc and Pedro Collins, both achieving it three times. Other notable bowlers include Richard Hadlee from New Zealand, Geoff Arnold from England, India's Kapil Dev, and Suranga Lakmal from Sri Lanka, each having done it twice.

Jaiswal's dismissal added him to an unfortunate list of Indian openers who have been out on the first ball of a Test match. KL Rahul was the most recent Indian before Jaiswal to face this fate. Other Indian cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, WV Raman, SS Das, SS Naik, and Wasim Jaffer have also experienced similar dismissals.

Indian Openers Dismissed on First Ball

The history of Indian openers getting out on the first ball includes Sunil Gavaskar being dismissed thrice: by Geoff Arnold in 1974, Malcolm Marshall in 1983, and Imran Khan in 1987. Others include Sudhir Naik by Andy Roberts in 1974 and WV Raman by Richard Hadlee in 1990.

Shiv Sunder Das was dismissed by Mervyn Dillon in 2002, while Wasim Jaffer faced Mashrafe Mortaza's delivery in 2007. KL Rahul was out against Suranga Lakmal in 2017 before Yashasvi Jaiswal joined this list when dismissed by Mitchell Starc in 2024.

This unique record highlights how challenging it can be for batsmen facing skilled bowlers right from the start of a match. Such instances add an intriguing element to cricket history and showcase the prowess of bowlers like Starc.