There have been many players in Indian cricket who made headlines overnight with their performance but their shine faded with time. There were some players whose talent was never questioned. But he did not get opportunities according to his potential. The story of Narendra Hirwani is also similar. Born in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, a leg spinner who created history in his very first Test match but his international career could not even come close to that historic start.
Cricket fans of today's generation may hardly have heard the name of Narendra Hirwani, but his name was not unknown to the people who watched cricket in the 1980s and 1990s. Hirwani, who bowled wearing a band on his head, glasses on his eyes and a band on his wrist, made a world record by taking 16 wickets in his debut test itself. This record has remained unbroken for 38 years. That means no bowler has been able to break that record.
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Surprised the world in debut test
In the beginning of the year 1988, a test match was being played between India and West Indies at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The West Indies team had legendary batsmen like Vivian Richards, Desmond Haynes and Richie Richardson. During that period, the West Indies team had dominance across the world. In such a situation, it was not easy for India to compete against him. In this match, 19 year old Narendra Hirwani got a chance to debut in Test cricket. At that time, hardly anyone had thought that this young bowler would accomplish such a feat, which would be counted among the most memorable performances of Indian cricket.
Hirwani took 8 wickets for 61 runs in the first innings. After this, his magic continued in the second innings also. He sent 8 Caribbean batsmen to the pavilion for 75 runs. In this way he took 16 wickets for 136 runs in the entire match. He set the record for the best bowling figures on Test debut. Earlier this record was in the name of Australia's Bob Massey, who took 16 wickets for 137 runs while starting his Test career against England in 1972.
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Why did the shine fade after the debut?
After such a great start, it was expected that Hirwani would prove to be a match winner for the Indian team for a long time. He performed as expected in the first few matches. In the home series against New Zealand, he took 20 wickets in 3 test matches. He had 36 wickets to his name in the first 4 Tests but after that the story started changing.
Hirwani did not get the expected success on the tours of West Indies, New Zealand and England. In foreign conditions, the batsmen started playing their bowling better. His bowling did not have the same edge as before. Meanwhile, another leg spinner was rapidly making his place in Indian cricket. That was Anil Kumble. Kumble's consistency and performances cemented his place in the team. The result was that it became difficult for Hirwani to make a place in the playing XI.
Hirwani kept coming and going in the team. He got some chances but could not repeat his initial success. The Kolkata Test against South Africa in 1996 proved to be the last match of his international career. Interestingly, the player who had taken 16 wickets in his first Test, his entire Test career was limited to just 17 matches. In these 17 matches he took 66 wickets.
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Become a legend in domestic cricket
After the rise of Kumble, Hirwani had to remain confined to domestic cricket. He continued to play for Madhya Pradesh and became a legend of domestic cricket. He took 723 wickets in 167 matches in first class cricket. Out of these, more than 400 wickets were lost for Madhya Pradesh. While playing for Bengal in the 1996-97 season, he took 29 wickets at an average of 23.13. Hirwani took 5 wicket hauls 54 times in first class cricket. In 2006 he announced his retirement. After this, in 2008 he was included in the National Selection Committee Panel.
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Become a coach and groom new players
Hirwani was a part of the selection committee till 2013-14. After this he took up the responsibility of grooming the players. In December 2015, BCCI made him the spin bowling coach at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Here his responsibility was to prepare young spinners and make them better for international cricket. He was also associated with the coaching setup of the Indian women's team and India-A. In June 2024, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) had entrusted Hirwani with the responsibility of spin bowling for its 'Vision 2028' project. Under this project he had to work with Under-16 and Under-19 players. Manoj Tiwari and Venkatesh Prasad were also associated with him.