Sachin Tendulkar

When Sachin Tendulkar chopped on a wide ball from Peter George onto his stumps, George became the tenth bowler in test cricket to claim Tendulkar as his first scalp. First wickets can’t get any bigger, can they? Surprisingly a look back at the bowlers who claimed Sachin as their first wicket and you will realize that none of these bowlers have had a great Test career – be it injuries, off field incidents or poor form, their careers have fallen by the wayside. The Sachin Tendulkar curse? Probably!

1. Hansie Cronje (SA):

“Hansie Cronje was the bowler who tested me the most,” said Sachin Tendulkar.  Cronje was one of the shrewdest captains in cricket’s history having led South Africa to 99 wins in 138 ODI’s and 27 wins in 53 tests. But Hansie’s glittering career was in tatters after he got embroiled in a match fixing scandal that took cricket to an all time low and tarnished his image forever. Hansie, who dismissed Tendulkar 5 times, died in a plane crash in 2002.

2. Ujesh Ranchod (ZIM):

The never heard off right arm offie from Zimbabwe played only 1 test in his career and has picked up only 1 wicket. His claim to fame –  the wicket was Sachin Tendulkar.

3. Ruwan Kalpage (SL):

Another off spinner who’s first victim in Test cricket was Sachin Tendulkar. Kalpage, an all rounder was more suited to the shorter version of the game and played only 11 tests and lost his place as he couldn’t warrant a place in the team either as a specialist batsman or a bowler.

4. Mark Ealham (ENG):

English all rounder Mark Ealham also grabbed the prized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar in his debut Test at Nottingham in 1996. Although he played 64 ODI’s for England, his Test career was less than fulfilled, playing only 8 Tests.

5. Neil Johnson (ZIM):

A naturally gifted all rounder, who opened the batting and bowling for Zimbabwe claimed Sachin’s wicket in both the innings of his debut Test. Johnson made a strong impression during his short career, including winning 3 Man of the Match awards during the 1999 World Cup. But his career was cut short as he had differences with the then coach, Dave Houghton and he moved back to South Africa from where he emigrated as a boy.

6. Jacob Oram (NZ):

The 1.98 metre tall ‘gentle giant,’ as he is fondly called was another bowler who started his test career with the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar. Oram, who has been haunted by injuries throughout his career, played only a mediocre 33 Tests in his 8 year career before calling it quits. He however continues to play in the shorter versions of the game for New Zealand.

7. Monty Panesar (ENG):

Mudhsudan Singh Panesar, known better as Monty, started his career on a high by picking up the wickets of Sachin and Dravid on debut. After playing the role of England’s lead spinner in 39 Tests from 2006 to 2008, he was outperformed by Graeme Swann and has struggled to find a place since then.

8. Peter Siddle (AUS):

The big right arm pace bowler Siddle also shares the distinction of picking up Sachin Tendulkar as his first wicket. Bursting onto the international scene in 2008, Siddle picked up 60 wickets in 17 Tests before he suffered the fast bowler’s curse and was diagnosed with a stress fracture and missed the most part of the 2010 season. Now Siddle looks to fight back and reclaim his place in the Aussie pace attack but whether he remains the same fiery pace bowler remains to be seen.

9. Cameron White (AUS):

White, the Aussie all rounder picked up Sachin Tendulkar on his Test match debut in Bangalore in 2008. The retirement of Brad Hogg opened up a spin position in Australia’s ODI line up which White took up. An injury to Bryce McGain meant that White was included in the tour to India in 2008 as the leading spinner. But after 4 Tests and 5 wickets, Cricket Australia realized that White was not the answer to their troubles. Although White is an integral part of the ODI and T20 squads purely as a batsman, he hasn’t played a Test since the India series.

10. Peter George (AUS):

Finally in Bangalore in 2010, George became the latest entrant into this list when he picked up Sachin on debut. After knowing the fate of the fellow players on this list, he definitely wouldn’t be elated on being a part of this list. What say, Pete?

Tags: Cameron White, Cricket, Hansie Cronje, Indian Sports, Jacob Oram, Mark Ealham, Monty Panesar, Neil Johnson, Peter George, Peter Siddle, Ruwan Kalpage, Sachin Tendulkar, Sports India, Ujesh Ranchod