June 20th is arguably an auspicious day for Indian cricket as three men's team's stalwarts made their Test appearances for the first time. Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly made their debuts on this day and have etched their legacies with some legendary performances throughout their careers.
It's worth noting that Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid made their Test debuts in the same match in 1996 against England, gracing their presence at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground in London. Ganguly hit a majestic century, but Dravid fell five short of the three-figure mark. However, the pair became India's backbone over the years and have struck mountain of runs.
As far as partnership goes, the two have accumulated 3294 runs in 68 innings, averaging a healthy 53.12 with 12 century stands. Ganguly retired in 2008 with 7212 runs in 113 Tests, while Dravid quit in 2012 after amassing a staggering 13288 runs in 164 appearances. Ganguly also captained India in 49 Tests, winning 21 of them.
Virat Kohli has become India's most successful Test captain:
Meanwhile, Kohli made his debut on June 20th, 2011 against the West Indies. While the 35-year-old took some time to find his footing in the longest format, he was unstoppable since the Australia tour in 2014-15 when he struck nearly 700 runs. He rose to the leadership spot following that tour after MS Dhoni retired from Tests.
He took Team India to the No.1 spot in the format and became the first Asian captain to win a Test series Down Under, doing so in 2018-19. He currently has 8848 runs in 113 Tests at 49.15 and is likely to serve India for at least a couple more years.
