Sarfaraz Khan made a exceptional debut for the Indian cricket staff, showcasing his expertise with a blistering 62 runs within the first innings of the third Test towards England. Hitting the 50-run mark in simply 48 balls, he turned one of many joint-fastest half-centurions on debut for India. The emotional significance of him enjoying for India was evident as Sarfaraz’s father, Naushad, was seen wiping away tears whereas his son acquired the Test cap from Anil Kumble.
In a touching gesture, Sarfaraz wore the jersey quantity 97 throughout the Test match. In an interview with Aaj Tak, Naushad revealed that each Sarfaraz and his youthful brother Musheer Khan, who just lately represented India on the U19 World Cup, don the quantity 97 jersey as a tribute to their father. The pronunciation of “nau” (9) and “saat” (seven) in Hindi loosely resembles Naushad’s title, including a private contact to their alternative of jersey quantity. (Why Team India Is Wearing Black Arm Band In India vs England third Test Day 3?)
“Apne dekha hoga unke T-shirt ke peeche jo naam hai naa, number hai naa, vo Nau (9) aur Saat (7) hai. Actually, vo mera he naam hai. Hindi mein aap usko Nau (9) aur Saat (7) padh sakte hai. Toh aisa lagta hai ki bass wahi gaye hai aur main stance liya hoon. Main iss tarike se chauke maar raha hoon, chakke maar raha hoon,” Naushad mentioned.
The second Sarfaraz Khan accomplished his maiden fifty.
 The feelings from his father & spouse was lovely pic.twitter.com/G2rSI8BSyV
 Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 15, 2024
Sarfaraz’s onerous work got here to fruition when he smashed a trendy 62 of 66 balls whereas coming in at quantity six on his debut. He placed on a glowing present of batting and appeared on track to hit a giant rating.
However, miscommunication with star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja within the center minimize quick his sensible debut innings as he was run out by Mark Wood on the non-striker’s finish. Both the batters construct a partnership of 77 runs.
Sarfaraz was requested in regards to the incident throughout the press convention following the day’s play in Rajkot, and the batter appeared unconcerned.
“There was a little miscommunication. This is part of the game. Sometimes there is a run-out, sometimes there is a run, and sometimes there is not. So all this goes on. He (Jadeja) said that there was a little miscommunication. And I said that it is okay. It happens. There is nothing big in it,” Sarfaraz mentioned throughout a post-day press convention.
The 26-year-old thanked the all-rounder for aiding him by means of his debut. Sarfaraz was apprehensive within the first few balls of his innings, even top-edging a slog sweep. Sarfaraz claimed that Jadeja calmed his nervousness and suggested him to play a prolonged innings.
“When I was batting with Jadeja, I told him to play while communicating with me. I like to play that way. He helped me out a lot and supported me. He helped me control my nerves and told me to spend as much time as possible on the crease to understand everything. That is what I did and I scored runs,” he added.
Sarfaraz’s surge to worldwide stage has been a lot anticipated by followers, who’ve stored a watch on his home cricket kind. He has been thriving in first-class cricket, most notably the Ranji Trophy, the place he top-scored in 2021-22 with 982 runs in six matches, positioned fifth within the 2019-20 season with 928 runs in six matches, scoring properly within the 2022-23 season as properly with 556 runs in six matches.
In the unofficial Test sequence of three matches towards England Lions that earlier occurred side-by-side with the sequence between senior sides, Sarfaraz did properly for India A, scoring 96 in a Tour match then 4, 55 and 161 in two unofficial Tests. In 45 first-class matches, Sarfaraz scored 3,912 runs at a mean of 69.85, with 14 centuries and 11 fifties, with the perfect rating being 301*. (With ANI inputs)
