Sarfaraz Khan smashes his maiden Test hundred (150 Runs) for India. Truck loads of runs in domestic cricket paves way for him.
In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015, the then Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Virat Kohli was awe-struck after watching a young 18-year-old Sarfaraz Khan smash an unbeaten 21-ball 45 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Kohli appreciated the youngster’s knock with folded hands and a bow. Cut to 2024, not only Kohli, but the whole India team stood up and applauded Sarfaraz’s maiden Test ton against New Zealand at the very same ground.
In those 9 years, Sarfaraz had toiled in domestic cricket, scoring a bulk of runs, to get a call-up to the national team. And as fate turned out, India, transitioning in Test cricket while phasing out a few senior batters, saw Sarfaraz make a grand entry, smashing his maiden century in just his fourth Test.
Sarfaraz Khan’s century came in clutch for India
First, let’s talk about Sarfaraz’s 150-run knock against New Zealand, which came when India were down in the dumps. Coming in to bat at No. 4, he first stitched a stand of 136 runs for the third wicket with former RCB skipper Kohli. The stand was important in helping India narrow down the deficit.
He then combined with his former U-19 teammate Rishabh Pant to stitch a stand of 177 for the fourth wicket. Both stands were crucial in India wiping out the deficit and giving them a semblance of fight in the match. In the first stand with Kohli, Sarfaraz outshone his senior partner with his strokeplay. In the second, both Sarfaraz and Pant matched each other stroke for stroke.
The beauty of Sarfaraz Khan’s knock was that he never bogged down to the pressure of batting against a top-class New Zealand bowling attack, which had earlier dismissed him for a duck in the first innings. He took the attack to the Kiwis, counter-attacking his way to a memorable maiden century, combining it with audacious, cheeky shots.
New Zealand had plans to make Sarfaraz edge to the slip cordon or in the gully, but the batter found ways to get past the slip fielders for cheeky boundaries down the third-man region. He also cut, slashed, and even uppercut to maximise his run-making, showcasing some T20-style boundaries.
Read More: IND vs NZ, 1st Test, Day 4: Kiwi bowlers pull it back after Sarfaraz-Pant 177 stand; NZ need 107
An ideal modern-day batter; quick runs & heavy price tag on wicket
Sarfaraz portrays the modern-day cricketers who look to play an aggressive brand of cricket to collect runs quickly and put the opposition under pressure. He reached his ton at a strike rate of almost 100 (110 balls) and ended his 150-run knock with a strike rate of 76.
He didn’t throw his wicket away after reaching the landmark but put his head down to collect more runs for the team. He eventually struggled against the tight bowling with the new ball from the Kiwis and played a tiring uppish drive to the short cover fielder. But Sarfaraz showed that he has a huge hunger for runs. The knock was a testament to the fact that he can be a real asset to the team in the longest version of the game.
His hunger for runs is amply substantiated by his domestic cricket records, where he has 10 scores of 150 or more out of a total of 15 tons. It includes four double tons. He has a highest score of 301* against Uttar Pradesh, which came in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy.
Good audition for Australia tour?
He puts a heavy price tag on his wicket and looks to bat through the innings to increase the team's chances of winning. He averages 69.09 in First-Class cricket and 58.33 in the 4 Tests he has played so far. It is his huge appetite for runs and his consistent run-making in domestic cricket that helped him break open the doors for an entry into the national team. It is safe to say that Sarfaraz is making it count. If he continues scoring runs consistently, he could become an automatic choice for the Test series Down Under, probably at the cost of a star but underperforming batter.
However, it is still early days for Sarfaraz. His real credentials as a Test batter will be visible in the bowling-friendly conditions of Australia, England, and South Africa. But at the moment he is basking in the glory of his success, with the sky being the limit for him.
Read More: Another feather in Sarfaraz Khan's cap - becomes first double centurion for Mumbai in Irani Cup
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