Wi26-year-old Sarfaraz Khan finally got to make his much-awaited Test debut on Thursday in the third Test against England at Rajkot.
Indian spin legend Anil Kumble presented Sarfaraz Khan with his debut Test cap, cap number 311, in the presence of his father Naushad Khan. Naushad has been Sarfaraz’s coach throughout and has made immense sacrifices to allow all his three sons to chase the dream of playing cricket.
When Sarfaraz was given his maiden Test call-up earlier this month, his younger brother Musheer Khan was piling runs in South Africa in the Under-19 World Cup. The 52-year-old Naushad Khan burst into tears as Sarfaraz received his Test cap and kissed it. An emotional moment transpired between the family in the stadium.
Sarfaraz Khan picked jersey number 97 as a tribute to his father
Sarfaraz Khan donned jersey number 97. This number is a tribute to his father. In Hindi language, 97 translates to “Nau Saat” virtually his father’s name, Naushad.
Sarfaraz’s Test debut had been expected for a long time as the right-hander has been piling up huge runs in red-ball cricket over the past three seasons. In 45 first-class matches, he averages a whopping 69.85 and has recorded 14 centuries and 11 fifties. Among batters with a minimum of 50 first-class innings, his average of 69.85 is the third highest, behind only Don Bradman (95.1) and Vijay Merchant (71.6).
Once KL Rahul was ruled out from the Rajkot Test and Shreyas Iyer was dropped, it was clear that Sarfaraz would get to make his Test debut.
India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first.
Teams:
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Ben Foakes(w), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson
