Ravi Shastri made his Test debut for India on this day in 1981 and shared a throwback photo to commemorate the occasion.
Team India head coach Ravi Shastri shared a fake picture on Twitter on Sunday on the anniversary of his Test debut for the country. Ravi Shastri played his first match for India in the third Test against New Zealand in Wellington in 1981. “On this day 40 years ago … in Wellington, I made my test debut,” Shastri wrote with the photo. “It’s still fantastic to be a part of the great game and connect with the national team,” he said.
While the all-rounder did not have a great match with the bat, he took three wickets in each innings, while the hosts won by 62 runs.
He scored five wickets in New Zealand’s first innings in the third Test in Auckland and claimed two more scales in New Zealand’s second essay to help India draw.
He was named joint player of the match with John Wright.
Shastri made his debut in 80 Tests and 150 ODIs.
In the longest format, he scored 3830 runs at an average of 35.79, and also took 151 wickets.
In ODIs, Shastri scored 3108 runs and took 129 wickets.
His last appearance for India as a player came in 1992 in a Test match against South Africa at Port Elizabeth.
He is currently the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team and helped them reach the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup.
India are currently involved in a four-match Test series against England, with the inaugural World Test Championship final on the line.
