Kolkata: Rohit Sharma made a dream debut in Test as he went on to score a century (127 not out) in his first match and along with R Ashwin (92 not out) helped India take a comprehensive 120-run first innings lead with four wickets in hand on the second day of the first Test against West Indies at Eden Gardens here on Thursday.
Precariously placed at 83 for five at one stage, India reached a comfortable 354 for six at the close of second day's play.
Sharma, who has struck a double hundred against Australia in the one-day match in Bangalore recently, struck 16 fours and one six while facing 228 balls for a well-made 127. Meanwhile, R Ashwin too played his part brilliantly as the off-spinner went on to make 92 that helped India get past the West Indies first innings score of 234
However the fans were heartbroken as Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar was given out in a contentious manner in his penultimate match when batting on 10. Barring Tendulkar, who got out to a dubious lbw decision by English umpire Nigel Llong, the Indian batsmen, including Shikhar Dhawan (23), Murali Vijay (26), Cheteshwar Pujara (17) and Virat Kohli (3) hardly showed any temperament.
Sharma, who came to the crease after the dismissal of Tendulkar, showed amazing resilience. He got to the century in style through a boundary between the first slip and gully.
On back-foot after losing five wickets for just 85, Sharma showed immense composure and along with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (42) resurrected the Indian innings. And after Dhoni was dismissed by Tino Best, breaking a 73-run sixth-wicket partnership, Sharma found an able companion in Ashwin.
Sharma played with flair and built his knock brick by brick. Ashwin, at the other end attacked the spinners, particularly rookie Veerasammy Permaul, to complete his fourth Test fifty from 71 balls.
Sharma, too, got into the groove as he danced out of the crease to hit Shillingford over midwicket for the first six of the innings and in the next over of the offie, he went into his nineties with a silken cut to the fence. Thereafter, he hit three consecutive boundaries to become the 98th batsman overall to score a century on debut.
