Revisiting Virat Kohli, Rohit, Babar Azam, Shaheen, And Gill's IPL And PSL Debut Numbers
India and Pakistan Legends-(X.com)
Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, and Rohit Sharma are the top three run-getters in T20I cricket. The trio enjoy a great fan-following as they are one of the most influential figures in world cricket. They have achieved a lot over the years in international as well as domestic leagues.
Meanwhile, Shaheen Afridi and Shubman Gill, who have played against each other since their Under-19 days, are the new big thing in cricket. However, let's roll back the clock and look at the time when these legendary cricketers made their debut in IPL and PSL.
Virat Kohli
Virat, who is the leading run-getter in IPL history (8004), made his IPL debut for RCB against the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 18, 2008, at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Virat's debut turned into a nightmare as he departed for just one run in that match. It was the first game in the history of IPL, and while chasing the target of 223, Virat was castled by Ashok Dinda.
Rohit Sharma
Talking about Rohit Sharma, who is the joint-most successful player in the history of IPL with six trophies, The hitman too had a failed outing with the bat as he registered a duck on his IPL debut.
He made his IPL debut for Deccan Chargers against KKR on April 20, 2008, where, he, batting in the middle order, got out for a three-ball duck off Murali Karthik's Bowling.
Babar Azam
Similar to Virat and Rohit in IPL, Babar had a disappointing debut in PSL. The right-hand batter featured in the first-ever game in the history of PSL when Islamabad United took on Quetta Gladiators.
Islamabad, who eventually went on to win the title, batting first, put 128 runs on the board, in which Babar scored just 15 (18), which featured just a solitary four.
Shaheen Afridi
Shaheen Afridi made his PSL debut in 2018, representing Lahore Qalandars. He too had a terrible first game as he leaked 35 runs in his three overs. Even with the bat, he registered a duck that resulted in his side's defeat. It is worth noting that Afridi holds the record for the most ducks in the history of Lahore Qalandars.
Shubman Gill
Gill made his debut in IPL for KKR and got his maiden game on April 14, 2018, against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The GT Captain had a game to forget as he scored just 3 (9) batting at No.5.