Sarfaraz Khan’s Test debut against England in Rajkot was unforgettable as he quickly amassed half-centuries in both innings.
Sarfaraz Khan Test Debut : India’s 434-run thumping of England may have been led by Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal, but debutant Sarfaraz Khan was also a major plus. In his debut Test match, the 26-year-old not only helped his side win, but he also had a fantastic maiden outing for India, scoring half-centuries in each of the two innings. Sarfaraz, who only knows how to play when he is attacking, smashed 62 off 66 in the first innings and continued to be undefeated at 68 off 72 in the second as India defeated England by 434 runs to achieve their greatest victory in Test cricket history.
Sarfaraz was put to bat at No. 5, but Ravindra Jadeja was given a batting promotion in the first innings, despite the fact that there were no chinks in his batting that could be seen. Given that India was 33/3, the choice made sense as they most likely didn’t want to lose any more wickets or put any more strain on Sarfaraz. Following a 204-run stand between Jadeja and Rohit Sharma for the fourth wicket, Sarfaraz was able to unleash his explosive form. The second innings saw a clear change in the situation as India sent Sarfaraz ahead of Jadeja in an attempt to get quick runs. Rohit gave an explanation for why he sent Jadeja at No. 5, asking whether it was a one-time move considering that India was fielding a relatively inexperienced batting team.
“We felt he had a lot of experience and runs as well, so we wanted that left-right combination, Sarfaraz being Sarfaraz, and we wanted him to have time with his quality.” We witnessed his bat skills in action. (In the order of batting) We don’t have a long-term plan; instead, we play by the rules and how we feel on any given day, taking the opposition’s bowling assault into consideration. We estimate everything and then follow the situation,” Rohit remarked following the game.
When Shastri questioned the call from Rohit
Ravi Shastri, the former head coach of India, questioned Rohit’s choice, stating on commentary that he would have sent Sarfaraz at No. 5 to test the young player and his mettle in Test cricket, but was partially proven incorrect when Jadeja scored his fourth Test century.
“If I had to choose one, I would have chosen Sarfaraz. Simple enough: he’s making his Test debut, it’s the first day of play, there are decent batting conditions, and he’s a strong spinner. It is only because of the left-hand-right-hand combo that you can imagine Jadeja batting ahead of Sarfaraz. I can see how Jadeja might still score a hundred from here with all the spinners out there. But you want to expose someone who is playing in his first Test match and demonstrate your faith in him. Shastri had stated, “Go and see what Test cricket is all about; if he passes the test, he will only get better as a player.”
Day 4 saw Jadeja win Player of the Match as he bowled England out for 122 with a century in the first innings and five wickets remaining. However, Sarfaraz also checked a significant box for India. With steely nerves and no hesitation, the batter displayed traits reminiscent of Rishabh Pant. Sarfaraz, who is well-known for dominating spinners, did just that in both innings, hitting four sixes to essentially lock down his spot in the Indian middle for the two remaining Test matches in Ranchi and Dharamsala.