At the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, India’s Sarfaraz Khan made a grand entrance into the world of international cricket by smashing a superb half-century on his debut on the first day of the third Test match against England. After making a solid 131 (196), Rohit Sharma was removed by Mark Wood, and the 26-year-old went to the crease with India on 237/4.
The Mumbai hitter, facing some chin music from England quick Mark Wood, appeared a little reserved at the crease. But Sarfaraz showed off his variety of strokes as soon as the spinners entered the game, reaching his half-century off of just 48 balls.
The 26-year-old, who had achieved the milestone in his very first international cricket match, was beaming with happiness. His father, Naushad Khan, and wife, Romana Zahoor, both sent him kisses.
Watch Sarfaraz Khan’s celebration here:
Moment when sarfaraz khan made 50 in his debut match with 100+ strike rate
Fearless Batting From #SarfarazKhan 🥵🥵🔥🔥🔥 #INDvsENGTestpic.twitter.com/oMRTdiU6yO
— Simran 🇮🇳 (@Simra230) February 15, 2024
Remarkably, Yuvraj of Patiala, who reached the milestone in 42 balls back in 1934, held the joint record for the fastest fifty runs scored by an Indian batsman in his Test debut. All-rounder Hardik Pandya also got a half-century off 48 balls in his debut in 2017 alongside Sarfaraz Khan.
Sadly, Mark Wood ran him out at the non-striker’s end of the 82nd over; therefore, the star batter was unable to extend his innings over 62 (66). Notably, Jadeja, who was batting at 99, was attempting to reach his fourth Test hundred with a fast single. But after Sarfaraz was pushed back by Jadeja, Mark Wood collected the ball at mid-on and smashed the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
At 33/3 in the first session, Mark Wood fled India, reeling.
His maiden inning ended with 62 (66), which included nine fours and a six. Captain Rohit Sharma hurled his cap angrily in the dressing room, displaying his frustration over the dismissal. Earlier in the day, after choosing to bat first, India got off to the worst possible start as they were reduced to 33/3 after Yashasvi Jaiswal (10 off 10) and Shubman Gill (0 off 9) were removed by Mark Wood. Tom Hartley dismissed Rajat Patidar for 5 (15) as well.
Captain Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja engaged in a huge 204-run partnership when they saw that their team was in danger.
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