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As Sachin Tendulkar bowed out, Rohit Sharma rose with a majestic 177 for India

Aakash Saini

Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma [Source: @Jenil1903, @BCCI/x]Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma [Source: @Jenil1903, @BCCI/x]

The farewell series of India’s all-time batting great Sachin Tendulkar marked the closing chapter of an era defined by grace and unwavering devotion to Indian cricket. As the legendary cricketer drew the curtains on his illustrious 24-year career, another Mumbai prodigy, Rohit Sharma, was taking his first steps into India’s Test pantheon.

While Rohit Sharma was already in his sixth year of international cricket, having featured in numerous white-ball fixtures, his majestic 177 against the West Indies on Test debut in November 2013 felt like destiny passing the torch.

An unforgettable farewell, a remarkable beginning

Team India hosted West Indies in a two-match Test series back in November 2013, in what was widely hailed as the farewell series of the greatest of Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar. The series also marked the Test initiation of another Mumbai cricketer, Rohit Sharma, after the legendary opener had already featured in numerous white-ball fixtures since his international debut in 2007.

While all eyes were undeniably fixed on the outbound maestro, Rohit Sharma quietly scripted a masterpiece of his own, scoring a remarkable 177 from 301 balls with 23 fours and a six against West Indies bowlers in front of a buzzing Eden Gardens crowd in Kolkata.

Batting at number six, Rohit Sharma also poetically arrived to the crease following the dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar at a troublesome 82-4, soon to be become 83-5. Nonetheless, his innings, coupled with a century from all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin mounted the Indian total to 453 in 129.4 overs.

The innings marked the first of the 12 hundreds Rohit Sharma would go on to plunder in his 67-match career, until he silently made his exit from the format over a decade later in mid-2025.

Interestingly, another Indian Test debutant, Mohammed Shami, was brewing a dream beginning of his own in the same match. The legendary speedster picked up nine wickets in the game, including a five-fer in the second West Indies innings as India secured a comprehensive win by an innings and 51 runs.

Exactly 12 years since that fateful Test debut, Rohit Sharma now stands as one of Indian cricket’s most accomplished leaders and modern-day greats across all formats. What began as a fairytale hundred in Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell series has since evolved into a legacy of his own, one built on timeless elegance and calculated aggression.