India vs West Indies 2013: Sweet culmination of a long wait for Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma

“Patience,” reminded Aristotle, “is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” Rohit Sharma might only be 26, but you can be certain that he might have been hearing the philosopher sing in his ears ever since he made his international debut in 2007.

The Mumbai star has waited longer than any cricketer in the history of the game to earn his spurs in the Test arena. It has taken him nearly seven years to find a spot on the Test team, but when it has finally come his way, fate has blurred the lines between dream and reality. In becoming the 14th Indian to score a hundred on debut, Sharma has vindicated a promise that was being forged for the longest time imaginable.

You can be certain that the man from Nagpur will cherish his debut just as much for scoring an impeccable century as he might for receiving his cap from the legendary hands of Sachin Tendulkar. A flurry of wickets set the grand stage for his anointed arrival and Sharma played with remarkable poise and veteran-like assurance to embellish his Test debut with a commanding performance.

Walking in at 83-4, he saw the team slide to 156-6 with both Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni departing after contrasting performances. The situation was precarious, considering that India were still some 80 runs behind the visitors, with Sharma the last recognised batsman. But the man who has long been panned for failing to step up when needed put on a display that rang with confidence at every moment even as he helped India to a memorable victory.

Eden Gardens has always been a kind home for the talented man, who made his domestic debut at this very ground even though he wasn’t nearly as successful as he was in this Test match. This was also the stadium where he led the Mumbai Indians to their maiden IPL title in May this year. But after 108 ODI appearances and 36 T20 internationals, Sharma was still awaiting a place in the Test team.

Rohit had a narrow miss in 2010, when he was just about to debut in front of his home crowd in Nagpur but ended up twisting his ankle in practice to find himself sidelined. But for all his success on the domestic circuit, Sharma had been a picture of inconsistency on the international arena. Not surprisingly, the experts, who were obviously enamoured by his indisputable talent, were constantly left shaking their heads in dismay at his fickle minded exploits in the middle.

Even as he continued to nourish his Test dreams, it appears that it was the shorter versions that prepared Rohit for his tryst with destiny in the longer format of the game. Ironical as it might sound, there is no mistaking the fact that leading the Mumbai Indians to the IPL and Champions League double seemed to have helped the 26-year-old mature as an individual.

The most compelling evidence of that came during the recently concluded ODI series against the Australians. Rohit showed that he might have finally worked on his shaky temperament, with a series of impressive scores. But more than the runs, what was most assuring was the manner in which he constructed his innings, especially during that majestic double century at the Chinnaswamy stadium.

Often panned for irresponsible aggression, Rohit got off to a measured start. The first 50 came at a languid pace, taking 71 balls, before he took off on a blistering journey that left the beleaguered Aussies scarred and shaken. Eventually, Sharma made an imposing 209 off just 158 balls, soaring from 150 to 200 in just 16 balls. For all his belligerence, he called attention to the fact that the innings contained an incredible 71 dot balls, a fact that underlines his calculated approach throughout the innings.

Perhaps it was in the fitness of things that Sharma was included back in the Test team on the strength of his limited overs performances. Scores of 79, 141* and 209 were enough to convince the selectors that he could finally transition to the longer format. And for a man who was biding his time to earn a place in the team, faith could not have been reposed at a better time.

After all, despite the phenomenal growth of the shorter format of the game, a Test cap and an outing in pristine whites still remain the greatest expression of acknowledgement in the game of cricket. Rohit Sharma was in the form of his life and fortunately for him fate contrived to offer a spectacular platform to launch his Test career.

The fact that Rohit made the best of his opportunity was all too obvious in an impactful 370-minute vigil that underlined his growing ability to rein in his futile impulses. Not only did Sharma play an innings of great maturity under testing conditions, he also inspired the determined Ravichandran Ashwin into working with him to construct a lasting monument. There were several tributes to the departing Sachin Tendulkar, but even the little master would admit that there was no better gift than the record 280-run compilation by the two warriors in the middle.

Ashwin was happy to admit that the pleasure of watching Sharma at the other end gave him the poise and equanimity needed to thrive under demanding circumstances. The spinner went on to make a career-best 124 runs as the pair batted the West Indies out of the game. Rohit fell just ten short of emulating Shikhar Dhawan‘s explosive 187-run debut effort earlier this year, but it was still enough to eclipse Dough Walters (155) and become the biggest debut innings while batting at number six.

Even as India celebrates the impending departure of its most prolific batsman, the arrival of Shikhar Dhawan (fastest debut century) and Sharma, who both started their Test careers with man-of-the-match awards, augurs well for Team India. The transition is under-way and the exploits of these young men along with the remarkable composure of men like Ashwin will reassure fans that the next generation is ready to carry the team to greater heights.