Who Was The First Player To Take A Wicket On The 0th Ball In Men’s International cricket: Cricket is a game full of interesting moments. Though the game has progressed with centuries of traditions, it continues to leave cricket followers amazed with strange moments beyond typical expectations.
One such stunning example was in 2011 when India’s batting wizard Virat Kohli, a name that rings with bold batting and reliability, carved his name in history books not for his batting but for a strange bowling record.
Virat Kohli is the first man in men’s international cricket to have taken a wicket on the 0th ball of his T20I career. Yes, we read that correctly, wicket was conceded before he bowled a lawful delivery.
What Does “Wicket on the 0th Ball” Mean?
Before delving into the incident, it’s essential to know what is meant by a “0th ball” wicket in cricket. Under the sport’s official bookkeeping, a legal delivery has to be delivered so that it is considered for the scorebook. But if the bowler has made an error, either a wide or a no-ball, that delivery is not taken as a valid ball. Even so, some dismissals remain legal in such deliveries:
Wides: A batsman may be stumped.
No-balls: A batsman can be run out but not bowled, caught, LBW, or stumped.
So, when the bowler gets a wicket on a delivery which is a wide or a no-ball and he has not delivered a legal delivery yet, it is accounted for as a wicket off the 0th ball.
The Match: India vs England, August 31, 2011
The defining moment was witnessed in a T20 International match between India and England at Old Trafford, Manchester, on August 31, 2011. It was an era when Virat Kohli was yet to start his international career but was already one of India’s most talented batsmen.
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Match Summary
Event: Only T20I between India and England
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester
Date: August 31, 2011
India batted first and set a target of 165 for England. In reply, England chased it down comfortably, but not before a highly unusual event occurred involving Kohli and England’s star batsman, Kevin Pietersen.
Who Was The First Player To Take A Wicket On The 0th Ball In Men’s International?
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During England’s chase, India’s captain MS Dhoni decided to experiment by giving Virat Kohli his first ever over in T20 Internationals.
Kohli’s first delivery was a wide ball down the leg side.
Kevin Pietersen, batting at the crease, attempted to come down the track but missed the ball. MS Dhoni, known for his lightning-fast reflexes behind the stumps, quickly removed the bails. Pietersen was stumped, and the appeal was upheld. Even though the delivery was wide, stumping is a valid mode of dismissal on a wide. Therefore, Pietersen was out.
The Statistic That Shocked Fans:
Overs bowled: 0.0
Runs conceded: 0
Wickets taken: 1
This left Kohli the lone cricketer in men’s international cricket to take a wicket off the 0th ball of his career in any game.
The Rules Behind It
Break down the legality of this rare dismissal:
As per the Laws of Cricket:
Law 21.7: A wide ball is not a valid delivery.
Law 39.1: A batsman can be stumped if out of the crease and not trying a run, even on a wide.
Therefore, although Kohli did not deliver a valid ball, the wicket was still valid, since the method of dismissal (stumping) is acceptable under these laws.
Why Is This So Rare?
This type of incident is very rare for several reasons:
Part-time bowlers such as Kohli are hardly ever brought in for pressure matches. A batsman getting stumped off the first (illegal) ball is not common at all. The combination of a wide + stumping on debut is what produces the statistical anomaly.
Other Similar Instances (But Not on Debut)
While Kohli is alone in taking a wicket off the 0th ball of his career, a couple of bowlers have done the same within an innings:
Graeme Swann: Took a wicket off a wide against Pakistan in 2010.
Sunil Narine: Bowled a batsman off a wide in 2012.
Shakib Al Hasan: Took a wicket off a wide ball in 2014.
These bowlers had already played their debut matches, though, so Kohli is the lone one to have done it on debut.
Kohli the Bowler: A Rare Sight
Even though he is a master batsman, Kohli has bowled now and then in international cricket:
ODIs: 4 wickets
T20Is: 4 overs, 1 wicket
Tests: 0 wickets
This 0th ball wicket is his most spoken-about bowling achievement.
