Scorecard: | Sri Lanka v Australia |
Player: | Hannan Sarkar, FDM Karunaratne, SM Gavaskar |
Event: | Australia in Sri Lanka 2016 |
Mumbai, Aug. 5 : Sri Lankan opener Dimuth Karunaratne can at least take the consolation that he is not the sole batsman to be out first ball of a Test match.
 
The 28-year-old left-handed batsman had to return to the pavilion (caught Burns off Starc) within a minute after the Test began against Australia at Galle on Thursday. 
The list of the batsmen dismissed out first ball of a Test match includes world's renowned batsmen like Sunil Gavaskar, Conrad Hunte, Chris Gayle, Sanath Jayasuriya etc. Interestingly, legendary batsman Gavaskar and Bangladeshi Hannan Sarkar were dismissed thrice thus. Sarkar holds the record to be dismissed by the same bowler (Pedro Collins, West Indies) on all three occasions. 
"No, as a player I don't want our record, though not a good one, is broken ever. It feels really bad when we look at our career back", Hannan Sarkar, speaking exclusveily over his mobile from Dhaka, said. 
"I was always under pressure while playing the next Test. I could not read the bowler and that was my fault", he added. 
"My second and third dismissals off the first ball had happened more than a year after the first one". 
"Sunil Gavaskar was a legend and if that happened with him, it can be with any batsman. I feel relaxed when my name is associated with Sunil". 
"As an opener one has no idea of the wicket, opposing bowler and this can happen with any batsman and have no regrets", Hannan Sarkar added. 
"Yes, I met Collins at Lord's four years after being dismissed thrice against him. I went there for some coaching program when I had an opportunity to meet him and we remembered my dismissals and had fun with him", Hannan signed off.
(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
Copyright © 2016 Bipin Dani)