5 Indian Players Who Won "Man Of The Series Award" In Their Debut ODI Series

India seemed to have worked on their bench strength really well and it yielded the results with another man of the series award for a debut player which is great signs moving forward. There is nothing better for a player to keep contributing consistently in his debut series and win the man of the series award.

It also brings positivity among the team and also a healthy competition inside the team for places that will benefit them in the future. It is always a depiction of a big player coming up in the ranks and it has happened in the past. Here are 5 Indian players who won the Man of the Series Award in their debut ODI series.

5 Indian Players Who Won “Man Of The Series Award” In Their Debut ODI Series:

Brijesh Patel vs England, 1974

This was India’s first-ever ODI series in international cricket and against England, captained by Ajit Wadekar, India stepped into the field. It was a two-match ODI series and Brijesh Patel who played 10 ODIs in his career scoring 243 runs at an average of 30.37, finished as the man of the series alongside Keith Fletcher.

He played an 82 run knock-off just 78 deliveries in the first ODI against England and took India to a respectable total, but wasn’t enough as England chased it down comfortably. In the second ODI, he was unlucky to be dismissed run out for 12 and he looked like the most comfortable batsmen on display from the Indian batting order in their maiden ODI series.

Raman Lamba vs Australia, 1986

Raman Lamba played 32 ODIs for India scoring 783 runs at a batting average of 27 and he scored one century along with 6 half-centuries in the ODI format. He had a phenomenal debut ODI series against Australia and bagged the man of the series award on his ODI debut series.

The right-handed batter had scores of 61,1,20,74, 17, and 102 in his first 6 ODI innings taking his tally to 275 runs in 6 innings and he deserved the man of the series award. He went through a rough patch after the series and eventually, leading to a loss of spot in the Indian team sooner.

Vijay Bharadwaj LG Cup, 1999

Vijay Bharadwaj came into the Indian team with a big reputation as a bowler who can be very handy at the lower order and a good domestic season earned him a maiden call up for the LG Cup in 1999. He was very impressive in his maiden ODI series and earned the man of the series award too.

The tournament featured four teams including the likes of India, South Africa, Kenya, and Zimbabwe while the Proteas won the tournament in the final against India. Vijay Bharadwaj was very economical and he finished as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 10 wickets to his name.

KL Rahul vs Zimbabwe, 2016

KL Rahul started his ODI campaign with a bang and he was already a big name in test cricket for India before breaking into the ODI side for the Zimbabwe tour. He scored an ODI century on debut against Zimbabwe in the first ODI in 2016.

He backed up with a 63 not out in the third ODI against the same opponents and bagged the man of the series award too for his consistent run of scores on his debut ODI series. The Karnataka lad is currently an important member of the Indian ODI setup as a wicket-keeper batsman in the middle order.

Suryakumar Yadav vs Sri Lanka, 2021

Suryakumar Yadav has been knocking on the doors of the selectors for a long time and he has finally rewarded a debut in ODI cricket recently against Sri Lanka with the senior players not available. He already showed his fine capabilities with the bat for India in the T20 series and it was time for the 50 over format too.

Suryakumar Yadav scored an unbeaten 31 off 20 in the first ODI and continued his good form with a maiden half-century in the second ODI. He started his innings really well in the third ODI and was dismissed at 40 which showed a lot of composure and hunger for the batsmen. He bagged the man of the series award in his maiden ODI series.