The Indian cricket squad has advanced remarkably in all formats during the past 20 years. The Men in Blue have dominated bilateral series and multi-nation competitions but coveted ICC championships have eluded them for a decade. Though they were unsuccessful in winning, they were notable for reaching back-to-back ICC World Test Championship finals.

India’s strong bench strength is sometimes credited to its vibrant domestic system and the Indian Premier League. The IPL has developed a number of talented athletes since its start in 2008. Due to the arduous cricket schedule’s several forms, experienced players get breaks from time to time, giving emerging players a chance to shine in the shortest format. This article will look at the T20I debuts of five Indian cricketers who had less-than-ideal experiences, including KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Sachin Tendulkar, Yusuf Pathan, and Yashaswi Jaiswal.

KL Rahul

KL Rahul made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2016 after having a fantastic IPL season. Rahul’s international career didn’t get off to the best of starts in the shortest format since he was going for a golden duck. He entered the pitch with Mandeep Singh to start the innings as they chased 170 runs to win. Rahul took the strike on the first pitch and was instantly caught off guard. Donald Tiripano attempted to dab an outswinger to the third-man area, but he was only able to obtain an inside edge before the ball hit the stumps.

Shikhar Dhawan

On the same tour that Virat Kohli made his Test debut in 2011, Shikhar Dhawan played his first T20I against the West Indies. at the sole T20I of the tour, which was played at Port of Spain, the hosts requested that India bat first. Parthiv Patel, a batsman and wicketkeeper, and Dhawan stepped out to bat.

Dhawan had an uneasy appearance during his 11-ball set in the middle before being removed by Darren Sammy with only five runs to his name. The former captain of the West Indies made an attempt with the ball, banging it short and aiming it towards the left-handed batsman. Dhawan attempted to maintain his foot on the line and steer the ball over the slips, but all he could muster was an edge to the wicketkeeper.

Sachin Tendulkar

When the ICC approved the shortest format of the game, the illustrious Indian batsman was nearing the end of his playing days. His lone T20I match took place at the Wanderers in 2006 against South Africa.

India performed a fantastic job with their opening bowling, limiting the Proteas to 126/9 in just 20 overs. Tendulkar and captain Virender Sehwag entered the field to start the innings. The Mumbai-born hitter made two boundaries off Charl Langeveldt in the fourth over after a sluggish beginning. Tendulkar was cleaned up by Langeveldt just as he began to loosen up. After making 10 runs off of 12 balls, the great hitter attempted to smash one outside the off-stump but was only able to hack it back into the stumps.

Yusuf Pathan

The crucial 2007 T20 World Cup final between Pakistan and India saw the former Indian all-rounder make his T20I debut. Yusuf had a fairly unimpressive start, scoring just 15 runs in the prominent final. Before the Pakistani bowler caught the right-handed hitter, he hit Mohammad Asif for a boundary and a six.

The all-rounder from Baroda tried to get a bouncer off balance but could only get a top edge. A simple catch was made when the ball soared. Yusuf’s bowling performance was also quite poor; he just bowled one over and gave up five runs while holding the opposition to 157 runs.

Yashaswi Jaiswal

The Mumbai cricketer is hailed as India’s upcoming superstar. The left-handed hitter received a national call-up for the West Indies series in recognition of his strong performance with the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023, during which he scored 625 runs in 14 games. He made a strong start, hitting 171 runs in the opening Test in Dominica against the Caribbeans. With 266 runs at an average of 88.66, Jaiswal ended up leading the two-match Test series in run scoring.

He had to wait for his chance in T20Is, though. India lost the first two games, and Ishan Kishan was substituted by Jaiswal when he struggled to get going. The young cricketer was the centre of attention, but the 21-year-old lied gently. He was out in the first over with one run scored, needing 160 runs to win. He appeared to be a little frazzled, which finally caught up with him. The southpaw attempted to top-edge the ball into the sky over the leg side but lost his form in the process.