Sarfaraz's maiden Test ton epitome of his appetite and India's comeback

The odds were stacked against Sarfaraz Khan when he walked out to bat in India’s second innings in the Bengaluru Test on Day 3. 

To begin with, he was on a pair after a duck in the first innings. India, with a mountainous task to make a comeback in the Test, had just lost both their openers in quick succession. Sarfaraz was also drafted into the squad after an injury to Shubman Gill. 

Having walked out to bat in the evening session of Day 3, Sarfaraz carved a moment for himself that he would never forget in the morning session of Day 4. The 26-year-old amassed the first hundred of his Test career, bringing up a scintillating ton off only 110 balls.

This is the fourth Test of Sarfaraz’s career, who made his much-awaited debut against England earlier this year, after scoring a truckload of runs in first-class cricket. In fact, he now has the most first-class hundreds for an Indian batter since 2022. 

Sarfaraz averaged 50 in his first three Tests with a highest score of 68*. He is now only the second Indian batter to score a duck and a hundred in the same Test against New Zealand. 

Sarfaraz‘s time at the crease has picked up India’s run rate from 4.4 at his arrival (95/2 in 21.5 overs) to 4.9 (274/3 in 56.3) at the time of his hundred. The right-hander struck 13 fours and three sixes, constituting exactly 70% of his runs in boundaries. 

Ajaz Patel was getting into the groove with wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma. Sarfaraz, an excellent batter of spin by reputation, tamed him by scoring 23 off 15 balls against him. Pacer William O'Rourke picked up four wickets in the first innings. Sarfaraz scored 32 off 29 balls against him. 

Even against other New Zealand bowlers — Tim Southee, Matt Henry and Glenn Phillips — the right-hander maintained a strike rate in excess of 60. 

The Mumbai-born scored heaps of runs square or behind the square of the wicket on either side — 73% of them. 

Against seamers, he kept tucking the ball in the third-man and the backward point region. He played three upper -cuts for 14 runs. In the first 30 minutes on Day 4, he scored four boundaries through that region. 

Against spin, he swept the ball continuously. Both his slog sweeps went for a six and it was clear that the Kiwis spinners are probably no match to Sarfaraz’s aplomb against spin. No runs down the ground. 

In his first Test innings in February this year, Sarfraz was run out for 62 in a misunderstanding with Ravindra Jadeja. In the 90s today, he was involved in another confusion running between the wickets with Rishabh Pant. Coming back for a second, Sarfaraz asked Pant to return in the most animated manner. “He’s done a rain dance there,” said Ravi Shastri on air as the right-hander was jumping up and down while rejecting the second run, reminding everyone of Javed Miandad’s jumping antics at the face of Kiran More in 1992. 

On Day 3, New Zealand’s number four, Rachin Ravindra, scored a similar kind of hundred, the second of his Test career. It seemed to have shut the door on India’s chances by stretching New Zealand’s lead beyond 350. 

On Day 4, Sarfaraz, India’s number four in this match, opened the door again with his hundred, the first of his career. India have nearly razed off the deficit in the morning session with seven wickets still in hands. And Sarfaraz has played a heroic role in it, with consecutive 100-run partnerships with Virat Kohli first and then Rishabh Pant. 

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