Watch: Ishant Sharma felicitated by President Ram Nath Kovind ahead of 100th Test match

Indian pace bowler Ishant Sharma was honored by President Ram Nath Kovind ahead of his 100th Test match at the renamed Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Ishant Sharma has become the 11th Indian to feature in 100 Tests for India, and the first since Virender Sehwag.

Prior to the start of the Test, Ishant Sharma was presented with a memento by President Kovind while Home Minister Amit Shah felicitated him with a cap. Indian captain Virat Kohli was also present alongside Ishant Sharma and applauded his teammate. Watch the video below.

Ishant Sharma celebrated his 100th Test by dismissing England opener Dom Sibley for a duck in the third over of the day. The visitors elected to bat first after winning the toss and Ishant Sharma got Sibley to edge one to Rohit Sharma at second slip.

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel, playing on his home ground, trapped Jonny Bairstow lbw for a duck with his first ball in the Test match as India got off to an impressive start in the pink-ball Test.

Plaudits for Ishant Sharma on playing 100 Tests

Many Indian legends have showered praises on Ishant Sharma for his achievement of playing 100 Tests for the country. The Delhi cricketer is only the second Indian pace bowler after Kapil Dev to achieve the feat.

Sachin Tendulkar tweeted:

"Playing 100 Tests is a great landmark for any cricketer, especially a fast bowler. Have seen you play from your U-19 days & played alongside you in your 1st Test. Proud of you & your service to #TeamIndia.”

Speaking to Star Sports, former India left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra described Ishant Sharma’s achievement as a massive one. He said:

"Not only any Indian fast bowler, but any fast bowler playing 100 Test matches is a big achievement. When people talk about Ishant Sharma's length, yes, he has altered his length, which is very important in Test cricket. Plus, he is the same old Ishant Sharma, the ball is coming into right-handers, which is really important for him, bowling around the stumps.”

Earlier, Indian captain Virat Kohli had said that Ishant Sharma playing 100 Tests is a very happy moment for him too. Kohli recalled in a video posted on BCCI’s official website:

"I remember a tall lanky guy coming to the nets and trials. He pitched the ball in right areas and caused a lot of trouble to the batsmen and the selectors were immediately impressed. He then started playing for the state team from that season onwards and we have been room partners since then. And we have been close friends ever since we started playing together. So Ishant playing 100 Tests is equally a happy moment for me. I wish him all the best.”

What a way to start your 1⃣0⃣0⃣th Test! 👏👏@ImIshant strikes early for #TeamIndia as England lose Dominic Sibley. 👍👍 A sharp catch from @ImRo45! 👌👌@Paytm #INDvENG #PinkBallTest Follow the match 👉 https://t.co/9HjQB6TZyX pic.twitter.com/XiG0cjQBOC

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 24, 2021

During the first Test in Chennai, Ishant Sharma became the sixth Indian bowler after Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Ravichandran Ashwin to pick up 300 wickets in Test cricket.