Who Is William O'Rourke? NZ Pacer Who Dismissed Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal & KL Rahul In 1st Test

The first Test of the ongoing three-match series between India and New Zealand is currently underway at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, and in the first session of the second day’s play, New Zealand bowlers managed to dismiss six Indian batters for just 34 runs in 23.5 overs.

William O’Rourke picked up three wickets, and two Indian batters were sent back to the pavilion by Matt Henry. Senior pacer and former captain Tim Southee also managed to take one wicket. In fact, he was the first one to take a wicket. He removed Indian captain Rohit Sharma for 2 runs from 16 balls.

O’Rourke, who made his Test debut against South Africa at Seddon Park on February 13, 2024, was the most impressive Kiwi pacer in the first session. He opened his account by removing Virat Kohli for a nine-ball duck and then got rid of Yashasvi Jaiswal (13 runs from 63 balls). While Kohli was caught by Glenn Phillips, Ajaz Patel completed the catch of Jaiswal on the fifth ball of the 21st over.

KL Rahul came out to bat at No. 6 for the hosts, and like Kohli, he also failed to open his account and was caught by Tom Blundell on the fourth ball of the 23rd over.

Here’s all you need to know about O’Rourke

O’Rourke was born on August 6, 2001, in London and has played in a total of five Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is for the Black Caps so far. He made his international debut for the Kiwis during the home series against Bangladesh in December last year.

In his first ODI match, which was played on December 17, 2023, in Dunedin, he picked up one wicket for 35 runs in five overs. He has dismissed five batters in three ODIs played so far.

After playing three ODIs against Bangladesh, O’Rourke got a chance to play Tests, and in his first match against South Africa in Hamilton, he picked up a total of 9 (4+5) wickets. He impressed everyone with his performance in the first Test against Sri Lanka as well. In the match played at Galle International Stadium, the right-arm pacer dismissed eight (5+3) batters. He overall has 22 wickets to his name in five Tests.

The youngster played three T20Is against Pakistan in April 2024 and picked up four wickets in three matches.