Sarfaraz Khan's father Naushad Khan reacts to Ravindra Jadeja running out the debutant

Team India’s debutant for the 3rd Test against England here in Rajkot’s Niranjan Shah stadium – Sarfaraz Khan who departed after a fantastic and well-played knock of 62 off 66 because of a mix-up run out with centurion Ravindra Jadeja, was not the latter’s fault, feels Sarfaraz’s father Naushad Khan who spoke to Aajtak at the end of day 1.

Sarfaraz Khan received his much-awaited debut India cap after years of rigorous hard work in the Ranji Trophy circuit for Mumbai and it was normal for him, his father, and his wife to get reduced to tears. It was a very emotional moment for everyone who watched Sarfaraz receive his maiden Test cap yesterday and he is undoubtedly a perfect example of the saying “Hard work pays off”.

His skipper Rohit Sharma had won the toss and asked England to come up and bowl first in what is proving to be a batting-friendly surface. However, instead of taking advantage of the conditions on offer, the Indian top-order suffered a dramatic collapse in the 1st session through Mark Wood’s sensational spell which saw him remove batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill for 10 and 0.

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Ravindra Jadeja and Sarfaraz were involved in a huge mix-up

India were then reduced to 3 wickets for just 33 runs after Tom Hartley led to the departure of number 4 Rajat Patidar with a soft dismissal for just 5 runs. Then it was all upon the shoulders of Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja to steady India’s inning and they did so with a 204-run partnership before Rohit became Wood’s 3rd wicket of the day after a crucial 131 off 196.

It was at that time when Sarfaraz Khan walked out to bat at number 6 and thoroughly displayed his Test batting prowess with exquisite decision-making as well as shot selection. The 26-year-old showed both Indian and English batters how to aggressively respond against spinners in those conditions.

There was maturity, patience, and faith in Sarfaraz Khan’s batting style on day 1. He proved his worth and showed why grinding it out in the domestic circuit is so important. The right-hand batter played at a very good strike rate of 93 before reaching a half-century on debut.

His knock included 9 fours and a six and as he was inching closer towards converting his fifty into a full century, a terrible mix-up with Ravindra Jadeja saw him getting run out by Mark Wood at the non-striker’s end while trying to facilitate a single run to help his partner complete a century.

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“If luck favors him, he will again score big”, Naushad Khan remains hopeful about Sarfaraz Khan scoring a century soon

Sarfaraz Khan was not taking too many risks during his inning as he playing very cautiously but that one risk proved to be very costly. Both he and Jadeja were disappointed with how things turned out, while Rohit Sharma threw his cap away in notable frustration.

Nonetheless, India remained in a secure situation despite Sarfaraz’s unfortunate run-out which his father believes to be a part and parcel of the game.

“It’s a part and parcel of the game. Sometimes, you get run out, and sometimes in some other way. It was his luck and I would not blame anyone. If luck favors him, he will again score big.” Naushad Khan said via Aajtak. 

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