NEW DELHI: Chetan Sharma made history as the first Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in a World Cup during the 1987 ICC Cricket World Cup. This remarkable feat occurred on October 31, 1987, in a group stage match against New Zealand in Nagpur.
Chetan’s hat-trick came in the 42nd over of New Zealand’s innings, with three consecutive deliveries. He clean bowled Ken Rutherford (26), Ian Smith (0), and Ewen Chatfield (0), delivering sharp and accurate balls that left the New Zealand batsmen stunned.
His bowling performance was instrumental in restricting New Zealand to 221/9.
India, riding on Sunil Gavaskar’s belligerent century (103 not out off 88 balls) and Kris Srikkanth’s 75 off 58, chased down the target with ease, reaching 224/1 in just 32.1 overs to secure a comfortable nine-wicket win.
While India’s batting performance was strong, it was Chetan Sharma’s hat-trick that became the defining moment of the match.
This hat-trick was the first by any Indian bowler in World Cup history, setting a high standard for future generations. After Chetan, Kapil Dev, Mohammed Shami, and Kuldeep Yadav also claimed hat-tricks in ODIs, with Kuldeep achieving the milestone twice in his career.
Mohammed Shami remains the only Indian bowler after Chetan to take a hat-trick in an ODI World Cup. Shami achieved this during the 2019 World Cup against Afghanistan, where he dismissed Mohammad Nabi, Aftab Alam, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in three consecutive deliveries, echoing Chetan Sharma’s historic moment.
