Watch- Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma roll on the floor laughing after Sarfaraz Khan's maiden Test ton celebration

Published - 19 Oct 2024, 10:15 AM | Updated - 19 Oct 2024, 10:45 AM

Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Sarfaraz Khan Rishabh Pant
Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma Sarfaraz Khan Rishabh Pant. Image Credits: X

Indian cricket team players and support staff have given a standing ovation to Sarfaraz Khan as the young batting sensation smoked his maiden international hundred in the ongoing first Test against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

As Sarfaraz Khan hit Tim Southee for a boundary to score his maiden Test century, Indian stars like Virat Kohli, captain Rohit Sharma, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were seen applauding the batter for his achievement in Bengaluru.

Sarfaraz Khan’s maiden Test ton earns a standing ovation from the Indian cricket team

Apart from the players, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir, along with his support, were also seen clapping for Sarfaraz Khan, wearing the broad smile on their faces. They have all honored the right-handed batter by giving him a standing ovation at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Sarfaraz Khan pushed the Tim Southee delivery past wide of cover, clearing the infield with perfect timing. The ball raced past the infield, and the Mumbai batter notched up his first-ever Test century. What makes this knock even more special is that Sarfaraz played under immense pressure, with the team struggling against New Zealand, but his calmness and determination shone bright.

As the ball crossed the infield, Sarfaraz raised his hands in celebration, running with his bat held high. He soaked in the moment, removing his helmet and acknowledging the dressing room and the crowd, and even looked up to the skies. His efforts were really appreciated by his teammates, as the Indian dressing room was overjoyed, giving standing ovations to the batter.

Sarfaraz Khan achieves rare feat against New Zealand

With his maiden Test ton, Sarfaraz became the only second batter to record both a duck and a century in the same Test match against New Zealand after Shikhar Dhawan. Dhawan had achieved this feat back in 2014 when he scored 0 and 115 against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland.

Additionally, this marked the 22nd time when an Indian batter has recorded both a duck and a century in the same Test match, with the latest instance being Shubman Gill’s performance against Bangladesh in Chennai last month.

Well, Sarfaraz’s ton has already taken India to over 300 runs. However, the hosts are currently trailing by just 40 runs, but they need to put up a challenging score on the board to give something to the bowlers to defend if they want to have any chances to win the opening game of the ongoing three-match Test series at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Sarfaraz is a 2024 version of a Javed Miandad: Sanjay Manjrekar

Recently, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar showered rich praise on Sarfaraz Khan for his outstanding performance after Day 3 of the first Test between India and New Zealand.

Manjrekar praised Sarfaraz’s versatile batting style, whether attacking or defending, and compared him to the legendary Pakistani batter Javed Miandad. He called Sarfaraz the "2024 version of Javed Miandad."

Sanjay Manjrekar was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo: “Sarfaraz reminds me of a Javed Miandad of the 1980s, but this is a 2024 version of a Javed Miandad. Really impressed with the way he played. We know he plays spin well, but I liked the way he played fast bowlers.”

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