Test cricket is the oldest form of international cricket which has brought a lot of legendary cricketers in more than 140 years. Many of these legendary cricketers experienced the successful journey in the game for a long time of their Test career.
Some legendary cricketers didn’t record a good start in the Test career, but later they showed their true class in this longer format and gradually evolved as a legend.
Here we are talking about the top five legendary batsmen who recorded a duck on their Test debut.
Marvan Atapattu (Sri Lanka)
Former Sri Lankan captain Marvan Atapattu had a disastrous start in his international career. The right-handed batsman made his Test debut during the 1990 Chandigarh Test against the hosts India, where he scored ducks in both the innings. In fact, he even failed to reach the 20-run mark in his first 15 international innings (13 matches). Meanwhile, Atapattu also failed to reach the 30-run mark in his first 17 Test innings (nine Test matches), where he scored six ducks.
However, while he started to impress with his batting in ODI cricket in late 1996, Atapattu registered his first Test century in 18th Test innings in late 1997 (during Mohali Test). Since then, he gradually improved his batting performances and secured his place in the national team.
In the 1997/98 season, Atapattu scored 695 Test runs with an average of 63.18, which was the second most Test runs for a Sri Lankan batsman in a Test season at that time.
Atapattu played Test cricket till November 2007. At the end of his career, he scored 5502 runs in 90 Tests (156 innings) with an average of 39.02. During his Test career, Atapattu hit 16 centuries and 17 half-centuries, including six double-centuries. His best knock in a Test innings was 249 runs against Zimbabwe in 2004 Bulawayo Test.