No he did not come into the Test side by scoring a century in his debut matches in Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, or Irani trophy nor did he say "Main Kheloonga" when he was bleeding from the nose in his debut series
No he was not put through the drill of waiting for five years to earn a recall to the squad after being taken on a tour of Australia and no he did not score a majestic century in the headquarters of cricket in his debut match
No he did not go through the rings in domestic cricket and have an enclosure in your home town with fans shouting hoarse for your inclusion in the team and when included score a superb 95 and play lone hands in many famous victories
All he did was to debut in a celebrated win of our times at Motera by top scoring in the crucial second innings, scoring a 51 thus enabling Javagal Srinath to blast away at the opposition. Don't think you can guess who he is!
He is the man who top-scored in that Test match at Cape Town with an unbeaten 35. Little did he realise that his career was going to change after the series
He was the guy, who was pushed to open after he saw five openers opening the innings in four different combinations in his first four Tests. His response? Two half-centuries in the four Tests he played and the only player to enter double-digits in that fateful Barbados Test match. Then came his favorite opponents, Australia against whom he scored a 95 at Calcutta and it looked like he secured his place in the team. In a country, where the public and critics alike are obsessed with numbers, it was being expressed that he did not have a century yet! Well answer his critics he did in his 17th Test with a stroke-filled century. Sydney-siders were reminded of another first time centurion at the same venue with the buoyant strokeplay- Brian Lara
This was the time he insisted that he would not open anymore. After one unsuccessful stint at being an opener, he was sent back to domestic cricket to get more runs and he responded in style by hitting ten centuries on a trot. Finally he got a chance he was yearning for all through- a middle order spot in the series against Australia. He responded to the challenge in style. Coming in at number 6 in the first innings of THE TEST MATCH he scored 59 and was told to keep his pads on, after he was the last batsman to be dismissed in the innings. He came in at number 3 in the second innings and the entire cricketing world knows what happened next. 281 followed and it changed the Indian cricketing mindset as the series was turned on its head and India went on to win the series 2-1
With the expectations mounting up on him after the abiding series against Australia he proceeded to play a few cameos, with the 28 in the first innings at Bulawayo being the most impressive. Soon he was dropped back to the number 6 position where he displayed firefighting skills and to his credit of the 16 centuries he scored, India has lost only twice. After that colossal 281, he averages 50.47 and from that period on he is 11th on the list of batsmen scoring the most runs Credit to him that he is the first batsman out of the top and middle order appearing in that list. He has more than 2000 runs against Australia making him one of the best players against them and the best against the best of his times
It would be a travesty if he is only judged on numbers but even then he has the 281 to boast of
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