Golden Duck Shock: Uttarakhand Pacer Devendra Bora Sends Rohit Sharma Back First Ball

New Delhi: A young Uttarakhand pacer has grabbed the spotlight in the Vijay Hazare Trophy by dismissing Indian cricket star Rohit Sharma for a golden duck. Devendra Singh Bora, a 25-year-old right-arm medium-pace bowler, made the big breakthrough on Friday when Rohit was out off the very first ball he faced in the match between Uttarakhand and Mumbai at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. 

How did the dismissal unfold?

Uttarakhand won the toss and chose to bowl. On the opening delivery, Bora bowled a short ball that Rohit attempted to pull in his trademark style. The timing wasn't there, and the ball went to deep square leg, where Jagmohan Nagarkoti held a sharp catch. The crowd, which had filled parts of the stadium hoping to see Rohit bat, was left stunned as the star walked off without scoring. 

Is this unusual for Rohit?

Rohit's golden duck came against the run of form. Just days earlier, he had lit up Jaipur with a massive 155-run innings against Sikkim in the same tournament. The contrast between that explosive performance and an immediate first-ball dismissal was striking. 

What do we know about Bora’s rise?

Devendra Bora is relatively new to high-profile domestic cricket. He made his List A debut in the 2024-25 season and has played only a handful of matches. Before dismissing Rohit, he had shown promise with four wickets in Uttarakhand’s opening Vijay Hazare Trophy game against Himachal Pradesh. He also has experience in the Ranji Trophy and impressed in the Uttarakhand Premier League, where strong performances helped him earn a spot in the state team.