5 Indian Players Who Won The ‘Player Of The Series’ Award In Their Debut ODI Series: Playing for your country is a matter of immense pride and acknowledgement for any cricketer. While some grab those chances, make headlines and have a long career, others couldn’t really step up in their debut series due to nerves or lack of opportunities or other reasons.
Here are 5 Indian cricketers who won the Player of the Series award in their debut ODI series:
Brijesh Patel
The current IPL chairman Brijesh Patel was amongst the finest Indian batsmen of his time and made his India debut in 1974 in England. In a 2-ODI series, Patel registered scores of 82 and 12 and was the joint-second highest run-scorer of the series. He and England’s Keith Fletcher were awarded the joint Man of the Series awards.
Raman Lamba
A right-handed batsman from Meerut, Raman Lamba made his India ODI debut vs Australia in 1986 at home in a 6-ODI series. In 6 innings, Lamba scored 278 runs – comfortably the highest in the series – at an average of 55 with one century and two fifties, and was awarded the Man of the Series award in India’s series win.
Vijay Bhardwaj
Bangalore’s Vijay Bhardwaj was a prolific domestic all-rounder and got his maiden India ODI cap in the 1999 LG Cup in Nairobi in the quadrangular tournament.
A right-handed batsman and an off-break spinner, Bhardwaj scored 89 runs in 4 matches while being dismissed only once and picked up 10 wickets in that tournament to bag the Player of the Tournament award, though India lost the final to the Protea.
KL Rahul
One of the most talented batsmen to have played for India, KL Rahul made his ODI debut in 2016 on the Zimbabwe tour and made an instant impact with a hundred on debut. He scored 33 and 66* in the next two matches, and was, without a doubt, the Player of the Series.
Suryakumar Yadav
Given opportunity late in his career, however, Suryakumar Yadav has grabbed his chances with both hands. After sealing his place in the T20I side, SKY made his ODI debut in Sri Lanka last year. In 3 innings, he recorded scores of 31*, 53 and 40 scored at a strike rate of 122 helping India win the series and for that the right-handed was adjudged the Man of the Series.
