Ramandeep Singh makes history right after his debut in South Africa

Ramandeep Singh made a stunning T20I debut for India in the third T20I match against South Africa on Wednesday (November 13) at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion, and he instantly etched his name into the history books.

The Punjab lad smoked a sensational six off his very first ball in international cricket at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion to etch his name into the record books. He achieved a couple of records with his massive six in the third T20I.

Ramandeep Singh creates history, becomes only second Indian after Suryakumar Yadav to hit six on first International ball

Facing South African pacer Andile Simelane in the third T20I in Centurion, the 27-year-old all-rounder launched a powerful shot into the stands and equaled the iconic record set by his captain, Suryakumar Yadav. Ramandeep became the only second Indian ever to hit a six on the first ball of his T20I career after Suryakumar.

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Only India’s T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, himself had such an explosive debut, smashing his first international ball for six against the England speedster Jofra Archer back in 2021. However, Suryakumar Yadav went on to score a magnificent 57 off 31 balls in his debut against England, but Ramandeep Singh could not make the most of his grand start in Centurion.

Coming to bat at No. 7, the right-handed batter Ramandeep played an aggressive innings of 15 off just six balls, studded with a boundary and a maximum, against the South African side in Centurion. Apart from equaling Suryakumar’s record, Ramandeep Singh also became the 8th player in the world to hit a six in the first ball of his T20I career.

Ramandeep Singh joins elite club with first-ball six in T20I cricket

Earlier, Pakistan’s Sohail Tanvir against India (2007), West Indies’ Jerome Taylor against South Africa (2008), Jamaican-American Xavier Marshal against Australia (2008), West Indies’ Kieron Pollard against New Zealand (2008) and Tino Best against Pakistan (2013), South Africa’s Mangaliso Mosehle against Sri Lanka (2017), and Suryakumar had made a grand entry to the T20I world.

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Meanwhile, Ramandeep showed every bit of promise and grit during his stay. Ramandeep Singh also stitched a crucial 28-run partnership with the centurion Tilak Varma for the sixth wicket, helping India push past the 200-run mark for the second time in the ongoing four-match T20I series against South Africa.

His quick-fire six on debut lit up the stadium, but his innings was cut short by a sharp run-out from Heinrich Klaasen at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion. Ramandeep has so far played 57 T20 matches and amassed 544 runs across 37 innings at a striking rate of 170 with the best score of 64.

Ramandeep Singh gets debut cap from Hardik Pandya

On the bowling front, the all-rounder, who was part of the recent ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 in Oman, has taken 16 wickets at an impressive average of slightly over 16, maintaining an economy rate of 7.86 in 19 T20 games.

Notably, the Punjab lad was handed the debut cap by the star all-rounder Hardik Pandya in Centurion. It remains to be seen whether he gets another opportunity in the fourth and final T20I against South Africa on Friday, November 15, at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.