Published: Jul 27, 2013, 08:28 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 25, 2014, 12:29 AM (IST)
Rohit Sharma made his ODI debut in July 2007, but is yet to play a Test match © Getty Images
By Sarang Bhalerao
Rohit Sharma became the first player in history to play 100 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) without playing a single Test match. It’s a staggering stats considering his unquestionable talents, a First-Class average of 60-plus and six long years on the international circuit.
Players who have played most ODIs without playing a single Test
| Player | ODI debut | Last ODI played | ODIs |
| Rohit Sharma (Ind) | June 23, 2007 | July 26, 2013 | 100 |
| Kieron Pollard (WI) | April 10, 2007 | July 19, 2013 | 85 |
| James Hopes (Aus) | March 1, 2005 | Oct 20, 2010 | 84 |
| Ian Harvey (Aus) | December 4, 1999 | May 29, 2004 | 73 |
| David Hussey (Aus) | July 4, 2008 | January 23, 2013 | 69 |
| Chamu Chibaba (Zim) | August 31, 2005 | February 26, 3013 | 63 |
| Dinesh Mongia (Ind) | March 28, 2001 | May 12, 2007 | 57 |
| Yusuf Pathan (Ind) | June 10, 2008 | March 18, 2012 | 57 |
| Nathan McCullum (NZ) | September 8, 2009 | June 16, 2013 | 52 |
| Vikram Solanki (Eng) | January 23, 2000 | July 1, 2006 | 51 |
Qualification: Excluding players from the Associate nations and minimum 50 ODIs
When Rohit made his international debut, India’s middle-order in Test match comprised Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly.
In February 2010, Rohit was set to make his Test debut in Nagpur when Dravid and Laxman missed the first Test against South Africa. But an untimely injury just before the toss meant that he missed his chance to play the Test. Stand-by wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha got the opportunity to make a surprise debut.
Rohit’s Test debut remained a dream as the duo returned in the next Test. By that time Rohit had played 70 ODIs for India.
Below is the list of players who played most number of ODIs before making their Test debut
| Player | ODI debut | Test debut | ODIs |
| Suresh Raina (Ind) | July 30, 2005 | July 26, 2010 | 98 |
| Andrew Symonds (Aus) | November 10, 1998 | March 8, 2004 | 94 |
| Adam Gilchrist (Aus) | October 25, 1996 | November 5, 1999 | 76 |
| Yuvraj Singh (Ind) | October 3, 2000 | October 16, 2003 | 73 |
| Shahid Afridi(Pak) | October 2, 1996 | October 22, 1998 | 66 |
| Robin Singh (Ind) | March 11, 1989 | October 7, 1998 | 60 |
| Gavin Larsen (NZ) | March 1, 1990 | June 2, 1994 | 55 |
Qualification: minimum 50 ODIs
Suresh Raina played 98 ODIs before getting a chance to play in Test matches. Raina became the 12th Indian to score a century on debut. He scored 120 against Sri Lanka at Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in 2010.
So, if Rohit makes his Test debut he will head this list as well. Let us hope talented Rohit gets his due in Test cricket. Indian middle-order is not quite settled and one would expect the precocious talent of Rohit to flourish in the Test arena.
(Sarang Bhalerao hails from a family of doctors, but did his engineering. He then dumped a career in IT with Infosys to follow his heart and passion and became a writer with CricketCountry. A voracious reader, Sarang aspires to beat Google with his knowledge of the game! You can follow him on Twitter here)
