Unmukt Chand on Tuesday (January 18) became the first Indian male to play in Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) as he made his debut for Melbourne Renegades against Hobart Hurricanes.

Taking to Twitter, Renegades posted a video of Chand receiving his maiden cap amid the applause from his teammates and coaching staff.

“Welcomed with open arms @UnmuktChand9,” the franchise captioned the video.

Unmukt Chand was left frustrated by warming the bench for major part of the BBL 2021-22 season. The Renegades are already out of the play-offs race after losing 8 of their 12 games so far.

“Feels more like a vacation. Thanks Melbourne!!,” the batter had tweeted last week.

Last year, Unmukt Chand – the former U-19 World Cup winning captain – had stunned everyone with his decision to quit Indian cricket at the age of 28.

After retiring from Indian cricket, Chand became eligible to ply his trade around the world and he shifted his base to USA, wherein he featured in the Minor League Cricket for Silicon Valley Strikers.

Chand, a former India A skipper, had never made it to senior Indian team but was part of three IPL franchises — Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. He has the experience of 67 First-Class matches and 120 List A games, having played in the domestic circuit for more than a decade.