Even though Ravindra Jadeja put on a show against England on the opening day of the 3rd Test, the veteran all-rounder remained in the eye of the storm following Sarfaraz Khan's runout. Batting on 99 in the final session of the opening day, Rajkot's local hero Jadeja inadvertently ran Sarfaraz out. Joining forces with an on-song Jadeja after the dismissal of skipper Rohit Sharma, debutant Sarfaraz slammed a quick-fire half-century against England to put India on top at Rajkot.
Sarfaraz arrived at the crease when Jadeja was 16 runs short of a century. When Jadeja reached 99, Sarfaraz already crossed the 60-run mark in his first-ever Test innings for the Asian giants. Hoping to help Jadeja reach the triple-digit figures, Sarfaraz had a mix-up with his teammate, which led to the dismissal of the Mumbai batter. Jadeja turned down a single after Sarfaraz responded. Cashing in on the mix-up, England's Mark Wood fired a direct hit to hand Sarfaraz his marching orders.
‘Sarfaraz was dominating the partnership but Jadeja…’
Reflecting on the partnership between the two batters, legendary Indian spinner Anil Kumble opined that Jadeja went into a shell after entering the nervous 90s. “Yes, Sarfaraz was dominating the partnership but Jadeja, I thought, got into a shell and that sometimes creates a mindset where you are not clear about the decision-making. Maybe, that was one of the reasons and possibility I passed on my bad luck of my debut run-out to Sarfaraz!,” Kumble told JioCinema.
{{/usCountry}}Reflecting on the partnership between the two batters, legendary Indian spinner Anil Kumble opined that Jadeja went into a shell after entering the nervous 90s. “Yes, Sarfaraz was dominating the partnership but Jadeja, I thought, got into a shell and that sometimes creates a mindset where you are not clear about the decision-making. Maybe, that was one of the reasons and possibility I passed on my bad luck of my debut run-out to Sarfaraz!,” Kumble told JioCinema.
{{/usCountry}}Notably, Kumble was also run out for 2 on his Test debut way back in 1990 against England in Manchester.
Sarfaraz and wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel received their debut caps in the 3rd Test against England at Rajkot. Announcing himself in Test cricket, Sarfaraz smashed his first-ever half-century in just 48 balls. The 26-year-old joined Hardik Pandya by scoring the joint-fastest fifty by an Indian batter on Test debut. Sarfaraz earned nine fours and one maximum as the debutant scored 62 off 66 balls. Centuries from Jadeja (110) and Rohit (131) powered Team India to 326/5 in 86 overs at Stumps.
'He was certainly tested by Mark Wood'
“It never looked like it was his first Test innings. We all know about the talent he has and we have seen him dominate spin at the domestic level. But at the Test level, you need a completely different mindset and to have that approach and play that free-flowing innings was brilliant. He was certainly tested by Mark Wood, but coming in and dominating the spinners was outstanding. And the way he batted – more than a run a ball with the kind of shot selection, he was very assured in his approach. After he took the bowlers on, the next ball was played on the backfoot just to manoeuvre that single and get off strike. Brilliant batting from Sarfaraz,” Kumble added.