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October 22, 2024
Sarfaraz Khan’s first Test hundred will be remembered for many reasons. He transformed a significant deficit of 251 runs into a lead of 52 before being dismissed for 150 runs. His earlier duck in the first innings felt like a distant memory. The thrilling partnership with Rishabh Pant, worth 177 runs, was filled with exciting moments that quickly went viral. One memorable highlight was Sarfaraz’s animated celebration after reaching his hundred, which had the dressing room in fits of laughter. Another was his comical leap to grab Pant’s attention, trying to signal him not to run for a second run. Sarfaraz later admitted that he forgot about Pant’s injury and their agreement to take it easy between the wickets until he realized it midway through the innings, prompting his lively antics—fortunately, no harm was done.
Just over a month ago, on the same ground, Sarfaraz and Pant had formed a 72-run partnership off 55 balls against bowlers like Akash Deep and Kuldeep Yadav. This was Pant’s return to red-ball cricket, and their aggressive approach had secured a victory then, similar to the current situation. The duo referenced that earlier partnership during this match to draw some insights. During that innings, Sarfaraz had famously hit Akash Deep for five consecutive boundaries, starting with a perfectly placed shot past gully that will be remembered alongside his Test hundred.
Read More: Sarfaraz Scores 150, but New Zealand Takes Three Wickets Just Before Tea
Sarfaraz had attempted that shot in Test cricket before, but never with such frequency or success. In this innings alone, he scored 58 of his 92 runs behind square on the offside. He employed a variety of techniques: standing still to nudge a length ball, arching back to ramp a few over the wicketkeeper, and executing daring upper-cuts, covering all possible angles. He sent the ball past gully and wide of third man, often targeting pace bowlers, but he also took on spinners, hitting a couple of shots even with a slip in place. When he reached his hundred, 44 runs had come solely from the third-man area, with none coming straight down the ground.
New Zealand seemed to have a strategy they thought would work against a shorter batter on a bouncy pitch, but it backfired. Sarfaraz made it look risky, and the more they used this tactic, the more runs he scored, eventually forcing them to abandon it. Will O’Rourke, who ended the match with seven wickets, admitted, “I think he probably played me really well. With my angle sort of falling away, it opened up that little dab shot. We thought we might have been in the game, but he played it so well. I would have liked to be a little tighter. Obviously, that’s one of his strengths,” he said after the fourth day’s play.
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Sarfaraz’s batting technique has been shaped largely by his father, Naushad Khan, whom he affectionately calls the “family doctor.” Naushad created floodlit facilities in their backyard, providing Sarfaraz with the perfect environment to develop his game. While his style may not follow traditional methods, its effectiveness is evident every day on the field. Kuldeep Yadav remarked a day earlier that “everyone enjoys watching him in the dressing room.” Sarfaraz was clearly having a great time out there as well.
“It was fun,” he said at the end of the fourth day. “I like playing the balls that rise high. I have a bouncy wicket back at home (Mumbai), and I play regularly there, and the bounce easily allows me to cut it. They were trying to ball short at me, and I simply played accordingly.”
Despite his memorable ton, India ended the day which had left a lot of the hard work undone a bit. A target of 107 puts New Zealand ahead but Sarfaraz was not in the mood to accept defeat. “It isn’t an easy wicket to bat on, and I don’t think the game is out of our hands yet. The ball is still cutting in and out. So, if we manage to get two to three wickets of theirs early on, even they could be in a similar situation,” he believes. Why not? After an innings that had driven the belief back in the team, he would be gunning for them to deliver a stab or two on the final day as well.
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