In cricket, a five-wicket haul (also known as a "five–for" or "fifer")[1][2] refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings. A five-wicket haul on debut is regarded by critics as a notable achievement.[3][4] As of January 2024, 170 cricketers have taken a five-wicket haul on Test match debut,[5] out of which nine are from the India national cricket team. The five-wicket hauls were taken against four different opponents – three each against Australia and West Indies, twice against England, and once Pakistan. The nine occasions have resulted in five wins, two losses and two draws. The five-wicket hauls were taken at eight different venues, six in India, three of which were taken at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
The first Indian to take a five-wicket haul was Mohammad Nissar who took 5 wickets for 93 runs during India's first Test, in June 1932 against England.[a][7] Vaman Kumar, a leg spinner, was the next to achieve this feat. His figures of 5 wickets for 64 runs took India close to winning a match against Pakistan during the latter's tour of India in 1960–61.[8][9] In December 1967, Syed Abid Ali took 6 wickets for 55 runs against Australia. The figures remain the best by an Indian fast bowler on debut.[10] Narendra Hirwani's 8 wickets for 61 runs against the West Indies, in January 1988, are the best bowling figures by an Indian on Test debut.[b] His aggregate of 16 wickets for 136 runs in the match are a record for any bowler on debut. As of February 2021, he is the only Indian cricketer to take ten or more wickets in a Test match on debut.[12]
The most recent Indian cricketer to achieve this feat was Axar Patel, who took 5 wickets for 60 runs against England in February 2021. India won the match by 317 runs.[13] Nissar, Ali and Shami are the only fast bowlers to achieve this feat, with rest of the six being spin bowlers.[14]
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Five-wicket hauls
| No. | Bowler | Date | Ground | Against | Inn | Overs | Runs | Wkts | Econ | Batsmen | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohammad Nissar | 25 June 1932 | Lord's, London |  England | 1 | 26.0 | 93 | 5 | 3.57 | Lost[6] | |
| 2 | Vaman Kumar | 8 February 1961 | Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi |  Pakistan | 2 | 37.5 | 64 | 5 | 1.69 | Drawn[16] | |
| 3 | Syed Abid Ali | 23 December 1967 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide |  Australia | 1 | 17.0 | 55 | 6 | 2.42 | Lost[17] | |
| 4 | Dilip Doshi | 11 September 1979 | Madras Cricket Club Ground, Madras | Australia | 1 | 43.0 | 103 | 6 | 2.39 | Drawn[18] | |
| 5 | Narendra Hirwani ‡ | 11 January 1988 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Madras |  West Indies | 2 | 18.3 | 61 | 8 | 3.29 | Won[19] | |
| 4 | 15.2 | 75 | 8 | 4.89 | |||||||
| 6 | Amit Mishra | 17 October 2008 | Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali | Australia | 2 | 26.4 | 71 | 5 | 2.66 | Won[20] | |
| 7 | Ravichandran Ashwin[c] † | 6 November 2011 | Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi | West Indies | 3 | 21.3 | 47 | 6 | 2.18 | Won[21] | |
| 8 | Mohammed Shami[d] | 8 November 2013 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | West Indies | 3 | 13.1 | 47 | 5 | 3.56 | Won[22] | |
| 9 | Axar Patel | 13 February 2021 | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | England | 4 | 21.0 | 60 | 5 | 2.86 | Won[13] |