After putting up consistent performances in Indian domestic circuit for a long time, Mumbai batsman Sarfaraz Khan finally made his debut for India in the third Test against England in Rajkot on Thursday.
Sarfaraz didn’t disappoint the selectors and batted beautifully with an aggressive intent. He looked set to play a big knock. However, unfortunately, he was run out in a terrible mix up with star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
However, before his run-out, Sarfaraz reached the 50-mark in just 48 balls with a fabulous strike-rate. Eventually, he was out on 62 off 65 balls in the most unfortunate manner.
The incident happened in an over by pacer James Anderson. Jadeja, batting in his 90s, had gone into a shell and drove to mid-on before calling for a single. Realising that a fielder was approaching, he turned down the call but by then Sarfaraz was too far away from the crease.
Reflecting on the incident, former India captain and coach Anil Kumble said, “Sarfaraz was dominating in that partnership. Jadeja, I thought had got into a shell. That sometimes creates a mindset where you are not clear about the decision making. And maybe that was one of the reasons behind the unfortunate run out.”
Notably, India were 326 for the loss of five wickets at stumps of day one. Jadeja was unbeaten on 110 with Kuldeep Yadav (1 n o) giving him company at the end of day one’s play.