5 players who got injured in their debut match

Shardul Thakur's dream Test debut took a sad turn as he suffered a groin injury on the very first day of the second Test against West Indies. Thakur was seen in considerable amount of pain and was forced to leave the field. However, Thakur is not the first one to get injured in the debut match.

Making a Test debut for their national sides is a moment of pride and joy for every international cricketer. Years of hard work and dedication finally gets rewarded when the Test cap is handed over to them. It's a moment that every cricketer cherishes for the rest of their lives.

However, all the Test debutantes aren't lucky enough have a memorable debut match. While some players aren't able to cope with the pressure of Test cricket and struggle to perform as per expectations, some players get injured in the very first match of their Test career. Today we will look at 5 such players who got injured in their debut match.

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#5 Craig Overton

Craig Overton got hit on his ribs by a bouncer bolwed by Pat Cummins

Craig Overton, the English fast bowler, made his Test debut against Australia in the 2017-18 Ashes series. He impressed everyone with his pace and control in his debut match and even got the Australian captain, Steve Smith, as his first Test scalp.

However, things did not go well with the bat in hand for Craig Overton. The 6ft 5in tall bowler was struck in the ribs while he was batting in his debut Test. The bouncer from Australian quick, Pat Cummins, hit Overton in the ribs and he was seen in immediate discomfort. However, he was able to recover from the injury and played the whole Test for England.

#4 Boyd Rankin

Rankin suffered a hamstring injury in his debut Test against Australia

Boyd Rankin, who played for Ireland in the initial part of his career, was injured in his debut Test. Rankin got his Test cap in the last Ashes Test in 2014 which was played at Sydney. However, Rankin had a forgettable debut as he was forced to leave the field twice on the opening day of the Test.

Rankin suffered a hamstring injury which allowed him to bowl only 8.2 overs in the first innings of the Test. Even though Rankin bowled in the second innings and took one wicket, England went on to lose the match by a huge margin of 281 runs and Rankin's debut Test became his last Test for England. Rankin later on played for Ireland in their maiden Test and made history by becoming the first cricketer to play Test cricket for two countries in 25 years.

#3 Shardul Thakur

Thakur became the 294th player to represent India in Tests

Shardul Thakur is the latest to join the list of players who got injured in their Test debut. Thakur has been on the fringe for a long time now and he finally got his Test cap in the second Test against West Indies when the team management decided to rest senior pacer, Mohammad Shami.

Shardul has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit for Mumbai and was expected to do well in Test cricket too. But unfortunately, Thakur's dream turned into a nightmare when he suffered a groin injury in the second over that he bowled in the match. The pacer bowled just 10 balls before he had to leave the ground due to the injury. Thakur did not come on the field again and his participation in the remaining part of the Test is doubtful.

#2 Imam-Ul-Haq

Imam in an ugly collision with O'Brien and Kane

Imam-ul-Haq made his Test debut in Ireland's inaugural Test match. The Test match got off to a dramatic start as Imam got injured on the very first ball of the Test. Imam, who was at the no-striker's end, responded to Azhar Ali's call for a quick single. While completing the single Imam found himself between Niall O'Brien and Tyrone Kane in a horrific collision.

The youngster was down on the ground for several minutes before he received medical attention from the Pakistan's medical staff. Imam eventually got up on his feet and continued his innings before getting out on 7.

Imam, who is the nephew of former Pakistan batsman and current chief national selector, Inzamam-Ul-Haq played an unbeaten match-winning knock of 74 runs in the second innings helping Pakistan win the match by 5 wickets. Imam's debut match wasn't short of action though.

#1 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan had a memorable Test debut against Australia

Shikhar Dhawan announced himself on the big stage when he played a sensational knock of 187 runs against Australia in his debut match at Mohali in 2013. Dhawan's century was the fastest-ever Test century on debut by any cricketer. However, the Delhi batsman, who had to wait for a long time to get his Test cap, suffered a hand injury while fielding in Australia's second innings and was ruled out of the remainder of the series.

Dhawan's fingers got jammed between the ground and the ball while he was fielding at square-leg. Dhawan's injury turned out to be extremely serious as he was ruled out of cricket for nearly six weeks. The stylish left-handed batsman made a comeback in the national side in the Champions Trophy later that year, a tournament where he won the Man-of-the-Series award.