How debutant Sarfaraz almost took away the dominance of Shatakvirs

It is no mean feat for a Test debutant to grab attention on a day when he scores two centuries for India, but Sarfaraz Khan did just that in Rajkot on Thursday. The 26-year-old Mumbaikar, who has easily been the most prolific scorer in domestic cricket over the last few years, showed that all the hard work and patiently waiting for the call-up in an empty stadium has not gone in vain.

With the 204-run partnership between captain Rohit Sharma (131) and Ravindra Jadeja (110 runs), the host team recovered from the delicate situation of 33 runs for three wickets on the first day of the third Test against England, but in the end, Sarfaraz became the topic of discussion. Went. He scored the joint-fastest half-century (off 48 balls) by a debutant in the season.

There was a refreshing clarity about his batting as the heavy-hitting youngster reached 50 in no time, making England’s spinners look ordinary and not shy away from lofted shots.

Sadly, he was out for 62 off 66 balls, thanks to a poor call by Jadeja, while the all-rounder himself was on 99. If he was somewhat fortunate that when he came to bat after the fall of Sharma, the pressure was on off and the spinners were on, Sarfaraz showed no nervousness at all, playing them long and with wristy hands, typical of a veteran. Kind of rotated the strike.