Sachin paaji told me to be gutsy, says Shikhar Dhawan

After signalling his arrival in Test cricket with a bang, debutant Shikhar Dhawan on Saturday said that it was a “great moment” to receive his maiden cap from Sachin Tendulkar, who told him to be as 'gutsy' in international cricket as he has been in the domestic circuit.

"It was a great moment to get the Test cap form Sachin paaji. I have watched him since I was a kid, it was a dream come true," Dhawan told reporters after his record-breaking feat.

Asked if Tendulkar had an advice for the 27-year-old batsman from Delhi, Dhawan said, "He told me 'we have known you as a very gutsy player in domestic cricket, now we hope to see you as a gutsy player in international cricket, so show us some guts'."

An awe-inspiring Dhawan made the day his own by bludgeoning his way to an unbeaten168-ball 185, the fastest-ever Test century by a debutant, as a dominant India left Australia bruised and battered in the third match of the series, on Saturday.

The hosts finished the day at a commanding 283 for three, with Murali Vijay giving Dhawan company on 83 runs 181 balls.

The 27-year-old Dhawan was on a record-breaking spree as he raced to his century off a mere 85 balls, and was going strong, when the stumps were drawn on the third day of the penultimate Test, after Australia were bowled out for 408 in the first session.

He also breezed past Gundappa Vishwanath’s record of being the highest Indian scorer on debut, and also the first Indian opener to score a century on debut.

© PTI