Had Shubman Gill been fit, Sarfaraz Khan would have had to continue being in the reserves for the opening Test against New Zealand at the Chinnaswamy.
But just as he had done in his debut Test in Rajkot against England in February, Sarfaraz did what India expected of him in Bengaluru.
Under pressure after nought in India’s dreadful first innings, the Mumbai batter played the way he knows best — his 70 batting off just 78 balls was vital in propelling India to 231/3 at stumps on Day III on Friday. That, after Rachin Ravindra’s 134 powered New Zealand’s first innings to 402, extending their lead to 356.
Later, courtesy Sarfaraz and his solid 136-run third-wicket stand with Virat Kohli (70), India were able to reduce the deficit to 125. New Zealand still have the edge, but as long as Sarfaraz is at the crease, the visitors would
be worried.
A “hurting” Rohit Sharma and his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal had given India the kind of start they required in their second innings, especially after conceding a huge lead. But their starts were
cut short against the run of play by Ajaz Patel, who first had Jaiswal stumped.
The left-arm spinner then accounted for Rohit soon after the India skipper had brought up his half-century. Despite a proper defensive push,
the ball rolled back to dislodge the bails.
Seventy-two without loss soon became 95/2, and New Zealand hoped they could
trigger another Indian collapse. But that wasn’t to be as Sarfaraz grabbed the bull
by the horns.
He found the gaps with ease and took no half-measures when going for aerial strokes. Quite a few cracks have started to appear on the Chinnaswamy track, but Sarfaraz braved them and relied on his natural game to so far hit seven boundaries and three maximums.
Sarfaraz’s spontaneous approach made the going rather comfortable for Kohli. For captain Tom Latham and his teammates, the pressure was palpable when the Kohli-Sarfaraz pair scored at close to six an over. So much so that Ajaz even dropped a regulation catch at slip to let Kohli, then on 53, off.
Fortunately for the Black Caps, Glenn Phillips, the unfortunate bowler then, was able to smile when he bowled a straighter one to find the edge of Kohli’s bat off the last ball of Friday’s proceedings.
Pant condition
Dhruv Jurel continued to keep wickets in Rishabh Pant’s absence on Friday. The keeper-batter had left the field during Thursday’s final session after being hit on his right knee — the same one on which he had surgery following his December 2022 accident.
But in what should be of some relief to India, Pant came out with the bat for a bit of knocking during tea on Day III. The team would keep their fingers crossed, as they would need Pant’s services with the bat for the remainder of their second essay.
