Six years later, Rohit finally makes Test debut

Rohit Sharma’s wait for the Test cap is finally over.

It was supposed to happen at the VCA stadium in Jamtha (Nagpur) back in February 2010.

However, a freak accident just a couple of hours before the start of the match hampered his chances.

Wriddhimann Saha was handed an unexpected debut against South Africa on that occasion.

And Rohit Sharma's wait for an India cap continued.

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It's been more than six years that the 26-year-old made his international debut. He played 108 One-dayers and 36 T20 internationals, initially struggling before making a mark.

Now, three-and-a-half years later, Rohit finally gets to play his first Test.

An impressive run of form in the just-concluded One-day series against Australia - he scored close to 500 runs, including a 209 in the final game in Bangalore - convinced the think-tank that this is the right time.

A shoulder strain to Ravindra Jadeja made things easier. And with the management preferring to go with an additional batsman, as opposed to an extra bowler, at the Eden, Rohit was finally handed a Test debut.

And what a better series to start out than batting legend Sachin Tendulkar's last series.

Should he grab the opportunity, Rohit might as well be a contender for the No 4 slot that the Master Blaster occupied for so long.

Besides Rohit, rookie seamer Mohammad Shami will also make his Test debut in the first Test against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens.

One Mumbaikar in the last leg of his illustrious career, and another trying to make early inroads.

No coincidence this!

Image: Rohit Sharma
Photographs: Clive Rose/Getty Images