Rohit Sharma gets Test cap from Sachin Tendulkar -

Rohit Sharma made his long-awaited debut in the five-day format of the game in the first cricket Test against West Indies here, getting his coveted cap from none other than Sachin Tendulkar who is playing in his farewell series. Medium pacer Mohammed Shami also made his debut on his home ground at the iconic Eden Gardens and ironically he was presented with the cap by lanky pacer Ishant Sharma, who was left out of the playing eleven due to his indifferent form. Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Amit Mishra and Ajinkya Rahane have been left out of the playing eleven in the first Test against the West Indies. Rohit got the nod ahead of Rahane after all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out of the Test series due to a shoulder strain. Rohit’s brilliant run of form in the recently-concluded seven-match ODI series against Australia won him the 278th Test cap for India.

Rohit was adjudged player of the series against the Aussies, amassing an astonishing 491 runs at an average of 122.75 which also included a superb 209, only the third double-century in ODI history. The 26-year-old waited for six years and 108 ODIs to make his Test debut. After being catapulted to the opening slot in ODIs by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rohit did extremely well in the Champions Trophy, the tri-series in the West Indies and India A’s tour of South Africa. Rohit’s good showing off late has infused a new life into the batsman’s career and he earned his much-deserved place in the five-day format from his childhood idol Tendulkar, who will be bidding adieu to international cricket after playing in his 200th Test match in the second Test against West Indies at Mumbai from November 14-18. A freak injury just before the Nagpur Test in February 2010 had delayed his Test debut. Sharma was set to make his debut against South Africa but he injured himself while playing football in the warm-up on the first morning of the match. He was also part of the squad for the third Test at home against the West Indies in November 2011 and the four-Test Australia series in 2011-12 but could not make the playing XI. Since then Suresh Raina, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja have all made their Test debuts in the middle-order. The 23-year-old Shami was also rewarded for his good show in the recent series against Australia where he picked up seven wickets from three ODIs. A promising seamer from Bengal, Shami made his ODI debut against Pakistan in January this year.

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