Indian fans will always remember June 20 as it produced three gems that left a big mark in cricket history. Former captains Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly started their Test cricket journey on this day in 1996 while Virat Kohli entered the red-ball cricket on this day in 2011.
The trio will be remembered in Indian fans' memories forever as they scorched 28979 runs combined in Test cricket alone with Kohli still playing. All three batters played over 100 Tests each and went on to captain the national teams across formats. So on the occasion of this auspicious day for Indian cricket, let's highlight the trio's Test debut.
Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, both aged 23, made their Test debut during the second Test match at London's iconic cricket stadium Lord's. Surprisingly, Ganguly batted in the no.3 position while Dravid walked in to bat at no.7, positions they reversed in the future. Both made an instant impact on their debuts with Ganguly smashing 131 off 301 and Dravid showing his red-ball cricket skills with 95 off 267.
Ganguly and Dravid continued their rapid rise with another stellar performance in the following Test at Nottingham. Ganguly scored a century again and also took six wickets to showcase his all-round skills. Dravid displayed another classic knock by smashing a crucial fifty to cement a place in India's Test squad.
Dravid's impact in Test cricket remains unparalleled with 13288 runs in 164 Test matches at an average of 52.31. He recorded 36 hundreds and 63 fifties and with 210 catches, holds the world record for most catches in Test cricket. Ganguly scored 7212 runs in 113 Tests at an average of 42.17 with 16 centuries. Ganguly's main contribution came in white-ball cricket with over 11000 runs and with his leadership qualities.
Meanwhile, modern-day legend Kohli made his ODI debut in 2008 and got his first Test cap during India's tour of West Indies in June 2011 under MS Dhoni's captaincy. Unlike Dravid and Ganguly, Kohli was not able to make an instant impact on his Test debut as he scored just four runs in the first innings and 15 in the second innings of the first Test match at Kingston. It was not a start to remember for Kohli as he struggled to make any impact throughout that series.
But the right-handed batter quickly adapted to red-ball cricket and has been dominating the format with 8479 runs in 109 Tests at an average of 48.72 so far. The former all-format skipper has scored 28 Test hundreds and overall 75 international centuries to go down in history books as a cricketing legend.
