Cricket — Nilesh Kulkarni rewinds the clock to an ecstatic yet agonising debut

25 years since his record on Test debut, left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni relives the experience

The highest total in Test cricket history.

The then highest partnership in Test cricket.

Sri Lanka’s highest individual score in a Test match.

Still, for an Indian cricket fan, the run-feast in Colombo during the first Test match of the series that started on August 2, 1997 is remembered for a unique bowling record. Left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni became India’s first bowler to pick a wicket off his first ball in Test cricket.

Ironically, despite dismissing opener Marvan Atapattu off his first ball, Kulkarni went wicketless for the next 419 balls he bowled in the match as Sri Lanka piled on a record 952 for six. Sanath Jayasuriya (340) and Roshan Mahanama shared a 576-run partnership as India couldn’t pick a wicket on the third and fourth day of the match.

Kulkarni, now founder-director of a sports management institute here, recalls “one of the biggest life-lessons” he learnt during that week in Colombo.