India head coach Ravi Shastri took a trip down memory lane on the eve of the India vs New Zealand first Test at Basin Reserve, Wellington starting on Friday. Exactly 39 years ago on February 21 in 1981 a 19-year-old Shastri made his Test debut for India at the same venue.

"It was 39 years. They say what goes around comes around. Tomorrow, Same day same ground same team same city I made my Test match debut 39 years ago. Unreal," Shastri tweeted as he stood there looking at wooden benches and white grilled picket fence that have survived the test of time.

They say what goes around comes around. Tomorrow, Same day same ground same team same city I made my Test match debut 39 years ago. Unreal. #LoveTestCricket #NZvsIND #Wellington pic.twitter.com/75syib0DFo

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) February 20, 2020

"The dressing room is still the same. No change," the head coach was seen telling people.

Incidentally, Shastri was flown to New Zealand on SOS basis after Dilip Doshi had got injured during the tour of Australia.

The 19 year-old was playing the Ranji Trophy quarter-final in Kanpur and according to a report published in 'Mid Day' newspaper, Shastri got the news of his maiden national call-up from the gate-keeper of the guest house where the Mumbai team was put up.

"The late Bapu Nadkarni came to the airport to pick me up. The Indian team was at the high commission for their official. I went straight to the hotel room. There was no one there. So I crashed out. The next morning, Sunny lost the toss, we were put into the field. There you go, I was playing the game straight away," Shastri told Cheteshwar Pujara in an interview on bcci.tv.

EXCLUSIVE: Ravi Shastri Takes Us Down Memory Lane @cheteshwar1 chats with Head Coach @RaviShastriOfc on his Test career journey which started in Wellington – by @RajalArora

Full video here ️ https://t.co/BDaz7vvB7s

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 20, 2020

Shastri scalped three wickets in that match in the first innings while in the second innings too he bagged three scalps.

For someone, whose experience of playing fast bowling at the domestic level was confined to military medium pace of Madan Lal, a gritty 19 coming in at No.10 wasn't all that bad.

But it was his left-arm spin that impressed one and all on a seaming track as he ended with figures of 3/54 and 3 for 9.

India lost that Test match by 62 runs but net gain was a gritty all-rounder, who served the national team for the next 11 years across 80 Tests and 150 ODIs.

"I think I was nervous, like anyone playing his first game. But I bowled tidily and I got the wicket of Jeremy Coney, which gave me confidence. Conditions were totally different when compared to wherever I have played because there were circling winds and it was a very, very cold day," Shastri said.

"I didn't even have a sweater. I wore Poly Umrigar's sweater. Poly gave me a sweater just before I left, that came very handy," he added.

Shastri, the spinning all-rounder, played 80 Tests for India and scored 3830 runs and scalped 151 wickets in his 11-year-long cricketing career. While in 150 ODIs, Shastri bagged 129 wickets and accumulated 3108 runs with an average of 29.04.

(With agency inputs)