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Cricket Players'Sarfaraz Khan's batting isn't for faint-hearted': Ramp shots, sweeps and dabs make India believe against New Zealand
After being belted by New Zealand for one and a half days, Sarfaraz Khan's innings gave the Indian fans something to cheer and the internet went crazy.
When New Zealand took a lead of 356 runs in the ongoing first Test against India at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, most cricket pundits and fans assumed that the match would come to an easy end. However, the case is totally different as Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan led a spirited fightback as India hung on and closed in on the deficit. Both batters were dismissed without troubling the scorers in the first innings but Kohli and Sarfaraz made amends with a 136-run partnership for the third wicket.
Kohli, unfortunately, was dismissed by Glenn Phillips on the last ball of the day for 70 but Sarfaraz was still going strong at the other end.
Kohli and Khan kept the scoreboard moving, putting loose deliveries away for runs. Sarfaraz was at his attacking best, displaying equal composure off the backfoot and front foot.
The right-handed batter, who has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket for years, mixed good attacking intent with solid defensive technique. Along with Kohli, he led India's fightback in the Test match.
Sarafarz's knock sets social media on fire
After being belted by New Zealand for one and a half days, Sarfaraz Khan's innings gave the Indian fans something to cheer and the internet went crazy. Fans went gaga over his ramp shots.
"Sarfaraz’s batting isnt for faint hearted," commented one user. Another user wrote, "Sarfaraz Khan special in Bengaluru."
"You could have mistaken Sarfaraz Khan to be batting at Azad Maidan the way he looked & got out in the first innings. You could mistake Sarfaraz Khan to be batting at Azad Maidan the way he’s toyed with the New Zealand bowling in the second innings," another user pointed out on X.
Sharing a picture of Sarfaraz with head coach Gautam Gambhir, a user commented, "Yesterday, Guru Gautam Gambhir provided special tips to Sarfaraz Khan. Today, he proved Gambhir's trust was well-placed."
Sarfaraz Khan was dismissed for a duck in the first innings, as he fell prey to a fabulous catch by Devon Conway. Team India would now be hoping for the batter to go big in the second innings.
Speaking of the ongoing Test, New Zealand gained a lead of 356 runs after bundling out India for 46 in the first innings.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal led India's fightback as the opening duo put on 72 runs for the opening wicket. Jaiswal was eventually dismissed for 35.
Rohit was also looking good, scoring 52, before being unfortunately dismissed in the second innings.
India ended day 3 at 231/3, trailing New Zealand by 125 runs.
