Despite A Loss, India Wins Assurance In The Form of Sarfaraz Khan!
It all started in 2015, when a 19-year-old boy from Mumbai made his IPL debut for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the world got to know him through his cheeky display of strokes in the middle against the best bowlers of the world. Who knew that this boy, Sarfaraz Khan, the one who was more seen as a T20 specialist, will turn out to be an impeccable batter in the longest format.
Well, his 150-run-knock in the first Test against New Zealand after India’s bizarre collapse in the first innings, was nothing short of assurance that the current Indian Test team is looking for in the middle order after the exit of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.
But is it too soon to bet everything on him while there’s the big World Test Championship Final is on the cards?
He may not be the wall like Pujara and calm like Rahane but he is the spirited Sarfaraz!
This can’t be concluded on the basis of just single innings, which was remarkable though, but he has been exceptional in the domestic cricket in the last few years, of course with those daddy hundreds, which eventually got him to wear the Baggy Blue.
Let’s look at his numbers in the recent years which will showcase not only his ability to score consistently but also dominate and put pressure on the opposition team.
With his ability to score quickly the right-hander has amassed over 4500 runs in the first class cricket in less than 80 innings, with a stunning average of 70. These incredible numbers also include his four double centuries and one triple century against Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy 2019-20 season.
His statistics and impact spoke louder and he eventually wore the baggy blue for the first time. In a very young career of just 4 Tests, Sarfaraz has already hammered 350 runs, which includes three half centuries and one century in just seven innings.
Like Virat is considered as a natural cover driver, Rohit is for pull shots, Sachin is for straight drives, Rishabh for one handed sixes, Sarfaraz can also be considered as a natural for playing ramp shots, which is what he has been known for since his IPL debut.
How much Importance does Sarfaraz’s gritty knock of 150 runs hold?
The innings that he played in just his FOURTH Test game, which was against New Zealand, carries a lot more importance not only for him (being his very first century playing for India) but
also for the Indian team, as he not only scored 150 runs with a strike rate of over 75, but helped India recover from the huge deficit of 356 runs, which was equal to immense pressure, one can say.
Although, he could not help the team win the game but his knock was enough to create a bit of terror and a bit of unsettlement among the Kiwis. He particularly defined how this new Indian team can turn out to be despite being thrown nearly out of the game on the very first day. He showed that he knows how to get his team back on the front foot and how not only he can stay in the middle for a long time but also score many runs at the same time.
With his bold character and cheeky strokes, Sarfaraz can turn out to be an impeccable trump card in the coming games. With Border Gavaskar Trophy round the corner, he will get a chance to play under more pressure since Australia in their home are quite dominant and also learn more while playing in one of the toughest conditions when it comes to the longest format.
The 27-year-old is full of hunger and wants to contribute to the Indian side. Undoubtedly, he will be one of the most interesting batters to watch in the coming months and with his not backing down attitude, he possesses the skillset to become one of India’s formidable batters.