Sarfaraz Khan First Day First Show: Emotional debut, blazing 62 and unfortunate run out in Rajkot roller-coaster

Debutant Sarfaraz Khan went through an emotional roller coaster on his first day in Test cricket.

Sarfaraz, who had been knocking at the door of the national team for around two years, hit a sensational half-century on Thursday, Day 1 of the third Test match.

Sarfaraz’s father was in the stands and the commentary box, watching his son bat against England after an emotional ceremony in the morning. Sarfaraz was presented the national team cap by the legendary Anil Kumble, who said that he was really proud of the young cricketer.

Sarfaraz’ Father in Tears

After receiving his cap from Anil Kumble, Sarfaraz went straight to his father – Naushad Khan, who played an instrumental role in making Sarfaraz into a force to reckon with. Naushad broke into tears after Sarfaraz presented the cap to him on the sidelines of the Rajkot Stadium.

The batter came out onto the crease on the very first day of the Test match itself. Sarfaraz walked into the crease after the dismissal of captain Rohit Sharma in the 64th over of the game.

Riveting Innings
England would have hoped for India to go in a shell after the dismissal of their captain, but that was not the case. Sarfaraz came out with intent and tried to dominate both pacers and spinners from the England side. The 26-year-old kept busy in the crease and smashed 9 boundaries and a six en route to his 66-ball 62. Sarfaraz was not worried about taking the aerial route against the spinners and smashed them all around the park.

Run-Out on Debut

Just like the presenter of his cap (Anil Kumble), Sarfaraz’s innings was cut short by a run-out. The batter fell short of the non-striker’s end after a miscommunication with Ravindra Jadeja. Sarfaraz had responded Jadeja’s call for a run (from the non-striker’s end). The batter was caught dead in the centre of the pitch, after Jadeja backed out from the run despite taking a couple of strides. There was not enough time for Sarfaraz to get back into the crease as Mark Wood picked up the ball and threw it straight into the stumps from mid-on in the 82nd over of the game.

India captain Rohit Sharma was left fuming with the incident and smashed his cap into the ground after the incident.

Sarfaraz looked dejected with the unfortunate run out after a blazing 62-run knock on an emotional debut but the young batter was definitely able to make a strong impact in his first international innings in Rajkot. A long wait to get a Test cap was probably worth the wait for the 26-year-old from Mumbai, who impressed one and all with his approach on Day 1 in the presence of his father.

Afterall, Sarfaraz was indeed the cream of the Ranji Trophy. A finished product, who more than anyone deserved a place in the Indian Test team.