Sarfaraz Khan First Impressions: Solid technique and brave batting

Sarfaraz Khan had waited for years to make his India debut at the senior level after appearing in back-to-back U-19 World Cups and also making his mark for Mumbai at the senior domestic level as well as for various franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). And when he finally did, it was quite the emotional roller-coaster of a first day in international cricket as he announced himself before the cricketing world in style. Not only did he fulfill his dream of receiving his maiden cap from the legendary Anil Kumble in front of his father and wife, the ceremony a tear-jerker for many including his dad, Sarfaraz ended up making the most of the opportunity by smashing a 66-ball 62 — bringing up his half-century in just 48 deliveries along the way. On a day when skipper Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja brought up centuries and shared a mammoth 204-run partnership for the fourth wicket to rescue the Indian team from a perilous position of 33/3, the fact that Sarfaraz’s knock is the biggest talking point just goes to show you how much of an impact the 26-year-old Mumbaikar has made on his first day out in an Indian jersey.

A batting extravaganza from #TeamIndia in Rajkot! 🤌

Here's a glimpse of the key moments from Day 1️⃣ of the thrilling #INDvENG 3rd Test 😃#BazBowled #JioCinemaSports #IDFCFirstBankTestSeries pic.twitter.com/4OhS8kxGxa

— JioHotstar Reality (@HotstarReality) February 15, 2024

The knock also highlighted how much hunger he’s has had within him to prove himself at the highest level of the sport, just how fiercely the fire has burned within him all these years. Sure he’s had to wait for ages for this opportunity, but boy did he knock it out of the park when he finally made his way to the centre following Rohit Sharma’s dismissal, both literally as well as metaphorically. Taking to Test cricket like a duck to water Khan had been in brilliant form in recent fixtures heading into his maiden international fixture at Rajkot’s newly-rechristened Niranjan Shah Stadium (formerly Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium). The Mumbai batter had collected 556 runs at an outstanding average of 92.66 including three centuries in the previous edition of the Ranji Trophy. More recently, he had collected 220 runs in two ‘unofficial Tests’ for India A against England Lions in Ahmedabad, including a knock of 161 off 160 deliveries that earned him the Player of the Match award and the home team an innings victory and a 1-0 lead. International cricket, however, is a different ball-game altogether and the best of athletes, even those in red-hot form, often end up making the silliest of mistakes with the nerves getting the better of them due to the magnanimity of the occasion.

A batting extravaganza from #TeamIndia in Rajkot! 🤌

Here's a glimpse of the key moments from Day 1️⃣ of the thrilling #INDvENG 3rd Test 😃#BazBowled #JioCinemaSports #IDFCFirstBankTestSeries pic.twitter.com/4OhS8kxGxa

— JioHotstar Reality (@HotstarReality) February 15, 2024

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Additionally, Rohit and Jadeja’s partnership did steer the Indian team out of choppy waters and took them past 200 before the former departed for 131 after getting dismissed off Mark Wood’s bowling. Though the home team were in a relatively safe position at 237/4, another wicket or two at that stage, especially that of the other set batter in Jadeja, could have allowed the Englishmen to claw their way back into the game and even given them the opportunity to restrict India to 300 or less. It was Sarfaraz’s knock in the evening session of the day however, that will have allowed Team India to truly stamp their authority on the visiting Englishmen. It had the kind of impact on Ben Stokes and Co that England’s very own ‘Bazball’ has had on their opponents for a year-and-a-half now. While Sarfaraz’s knock didn’t comprise as many sweeps and reverse sweeps — the shots that the English batters have primarily relied on so far in the ongoing tour — it did have the kind of no-holds-barred approach. Whether it was tonking Tom Hartley over his head on multiple occasions or even giving the legendary James Anderson, who retained his place in the XI after an impressive display at Vizag, the charge down the track. Jadeja was going through a bit of a slowdown once Rohit got the marching orders shortly after tea. He had been playing second fiddle for the most part in the fourth-wicket partnership anyway, and was taking his time in collecting the runs once Sarfaraz had made his way to the centre as well. Sarfaraz did start somewhat cautiously as he was batting on 5 off 13 deliveries before collecting his first boundary with a firm cut behind point off Rehan Ahmed. From thereon, it didn’t take long for him to assume charge in the partnership as he kept collecting the boundaries almost every over while Jadeja was happy to rotate strike every now and then. “I told Jaddu bhai to keep talking to me while I bat since I like talking while batting. He supported me a lot today while batting. There was nervousness early on but it felt normal after that,” Sarfaraz, who had briefly represented Uttar Pradesh at the domestic level besides Mumbai, told reporters after stumps on Day 1. What also stood out in Sarfaraz’s knock besides the fearless manner in which he went for the slog sweeps and lofted shots down the ground was the manner in which he was able to pinch singles on a constant basis off the spinners, even off good deliveries. It was that approach that did not allow the English spin department to settle into a rhythm in the evening session. It is quite impressive given the fact that the spinners have primarily been causing problems for the Indian batters so far in this series and have even outperformed their highly-rated and vastly experienced Indian counterparts despite having a fraction of that experience between them. Sarfaraz and Jadeja were able to take the sting out of the English bowling attack with their contrasting approach, and the partnership did play its part in frustrating both Stokes and his batters. It ultimately took a bit of a mix-up between Jaddu and Sarfaraz for that to come to an unfortunate end, which also resulted in the former going into a muted celebration upon bringing up the three-figure mark. The disappointment of missing out on a hundred there was there for the taking might just pinch him a little as he makes his way back to the team hotel later tonight. But the way he conducted himself in what surely is the biggest test of his career so far sure tells you he here to stay, and that the Indian middle-order appears to be in good hands with him around, at least for now.