Making his debut on that fateful day of June 18, the commentators were having trouble pronouncing his name but Mustafizur himself was at ease in making the Indian batsmen dance to the tune with his now trademark off-cutters.
After the exit of Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, Mustafizur wreaked havoc in the opposition camp as he removed Rohit Sharma (his first international wicket) and Ajinkya Rahane in quick succession to negate the solid 95-run start by the visitors.
Later, when India looked to consolidate their run chase, Mustafizur's three-wicket burst later destroyed all such aspirations. He dismissed Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to finish his first day ODI with a match-winning haul of 5/50 that helped Bangladesh register a 79-run victory.
The young right-arm medium-pacer carried this exciting form into the next game too, outdoing his debut figures by taking 6/43 against the hapless Indian batsmen three days later. The dreaded off-cutter came into play again as Mustafizur destroyed the middle order with six wickets in 10 overs to roll India over for 200 in 45 overs. His exploits almost single-handedly helped Bangladesh win the second ODI to clinch a historic series win with a match to spare.
Thus, Mustafizur - who had made his Twenty20 international debut shortly before this against Pakistan - became the new poster boy for the Tigers instantly. His returns of 11 wickets in two ODIs was the best ever for any bowler in as many games, and he became only the second to take two consecutive five-wicket hauls in his first two games.
Mustafizur's debut figures of 5/50 were not the best ever for Bangladesh, for the record remains with his bowling partner Taskin Ahmed who registered 5/28 against India exactly a year before on 17 June, 2014. And just a few weeks later, the record for best figures on debut for any bowler from any team went to young South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada at the same venue - 6/16 in eight overs against Bangladesh. Known for spin-friendly pitches till recently, it now seems like Dhaka has became a haven for debutant fast bowlers (and for India's Stuart Binny, who took a record 6/4 there in his third ODI).
A month after making his ODI debut, Mustafizur was handed his first Test cap against South Africa at Chittagong and had a memorable first day, taking three wickets in a single over to derail the tourists en route to figures of 4/37. If we look at Mustafizur's amazing start to his international career, which has coincided with a terrific run of success for Bangladesh, one can hope for more than a decent future for this talented young cricketer.
Debut Records (Bowlers)
* Best ODI debut: Kagiso Rabada (SA) - 6/16 in 8 overs vs Bangladesh at Dhaka on 10 July 2015
* Bangladesh's best: Taskin Ahmed - 5/28 in 8 overs vs India at Dhaka on 17 Jun 2014
* Best Test debut: Albert Trott (AUS) - 8/43 in 27 overs vs England at Adelaide on 11 Jan, 1895
* Bangladesh's best: Sohag Gazi - 6/74 in 23.2 overs vs West Indies at Dhaka on 13 Nov 2012
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