By IANS
Perth : Chris Rogers made his Test debut Wednesday at the expense of the man who delivered the sledge that forced him to toughen up and chase a Test career.
In an ironic twist, Rogers replaced injured opener Matthew Hayden, who tormented him early in his career with a verbal barrage that steeled Rogers’ desire to wear the baggy green, Herald Sun reported.
During a Pura Cup game at the Gabba in 1999, Rogers was batting in just his fifth first-class match when he hit a boundary and then looked towards his West Australian (WA) team mates in the rooms.
Queenslander Hayden barked at Rogers that he must not have any respect from his WA team mates because no one was clapping. Rogers was dismissed soon after but says it was the most telling sledge he ever received and helped him strive for the baggy green cap he wore for the first time against India at his home ground.
It will be a dream Test debut for the left-hander, who once feared he would have to put his ambitions permanently on ice, after missing the boat once with a bout of appendicitis. That had left New South Wales opener Phil Jaques as the unchallenged contender to take Justin Langer’s position.
“I thought maybe I missed the boat,” Rogers said. “But I couldn’t script it better now. To play in front of your home crowd is something you will always remember.”
Hayden missed Australia’s quest for a world record 17th consecutive Test win after failing in his bid to recover from a hamstring tendon injury. He has not missed a Test since 2000 but claimed he could not have looked captain Ricky Ponting in the eyes if he had played injured.
“I am very disappointed about missing this Test match because it is going to be so special,” Hayden said. “But from my point of view I really couldn’t look the skipper in the eyes and say I was going to be fully fit.”
Rogers roared into Australian calculations with 1,202 Pura Cup runs at 70.71 last season. The 30-year-old is short-sighted and colour blind and bats in glasses, a rare sight that harks back to former Australian Test players Dirk Wellham and John Inverarity.
Rogers is far from a household name, having crept under the guard of many cricket fans. But the son of former NSW batsman John Rogers has been a big run-scorer in domestic cricket for several seasons.
His moment of truth probably came during Australia’s 2005 Ashes tour when he opened for Leicestershire and belted 209 against the touring Australians.
Rogers left the ground that night thinking he could play Test cricket after flaying an attack containing Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and Stuart MacGill.