India pacer Yash Thakur endured a forgettable start to his ODI career after being dismissed for a duck on debut in the fifth and final match against New Zealand at Bay Oval on Sunday. In doing so, the right-arm pacer joined an unwanted list of Indian cricketers that includes batting legends Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni.Thakur became the 18th Indian batter to register a duck on ODI debut, with his name joining some prominent players who experienced a similar fate in their first appearance in the format.The list dates back to 1974, when former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi was dismissed without scoring on his ODI debut. Sachin Tendulkar, who made his first ODI appearance in 1989, and Dhoni, who began his international career in the format in 2004, also featured on the list.Other notable names include VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan and former India all-rounder Roger Binny.Indian players dismissed for a duck on ODI debut
| Year | Player |
|---|---|
| 1974 | Bishan Singh Bedi |
| 1979 | Surinder Khanna |
| 1980 | Roger Binny |
| 1980 | Yograj Singh |
| 1981 | K Srikkanth |
| 1984 | Ashok Patel |
| 1985 | Lalchand Rajput |
| 1988 | Sanjeev Sharma |
| 1989 | Sachin Tendulkar |
| 1998 | VVS Laxman |
| 1999 | Gyanendra Pandey |
| 2002 | Jai Prakash Yadav |
| 2003 | Avishkar Salvi |
| 2004 | MS Dhoni |
| 2005 | Suresh Raina |
| 2006 | Wasim Jaffer |
| 2010 | Shikhar Dhawan |
| 2026 | Yash Thakur |
Thakur’s debut came in a series-deciding contest, with India looking to bounce back after their humiliating 244-run defeat in the fourth ODI, where they were bowled out for just 89.The fifth ODI, however, turned out to be another challenging outing with the bat for the visitors. Asked to bat first, India lost Rohit Sharma early before Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad also departed, leaving the team struggling at 34/3.Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel attempted to steady the innings with a 52-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but New Zealand kept chipping away at regular intervals. Axar and Ishan Kishan scored 46 apiece, while Naman Dhir contributed 22.India were eventually bowled out for 209 in 42.1 overs, with Mitchell Santner and Jacob Duffy claiming three wickets each.However, the Indian bowlers made up for the batting disappointment. Mohammad Siraj and Arshdeep Singh struck early to put New Zealand under pressure, with Arshdeep eventually finishing with 3/30 and Siraj taking 2/50.Thakur also made an early contribution with the ball, taking the catch to dismiss New Zealand opener Tim Seifert off Siraj’s bowling. New Zealand were eventually dismissed for 187 in 48.1 overs, handing India a 22-run victory.The win secured a 3-1 series triumph for India and ended New Zealand’s run of 11 consecutive ODI series victories at home. It also completed a successful white-ball leg of the tour for the visitors, who had earlier won the five-match T20I series 3-2.
