- By Namrata Vijay
- Sat, 19 Oct 2024 10:42 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs NZ, 1st Test: India's star Test batter Sarfaraz Khan scored his first Test century on the fourth day of the series opener against New Zealand on Saturday. He was included in the playing XI after missing the two-match Test series against Bangladesh last month and thus took full advantage of the chance he got. He got out for a three-ball duck during the first innings and bounced back brilliantly in the second. He entered this series on the back of a match-winning double-century in the Irani Cup against the Rest of India. Sarfaraz, who is known for scoring big centuries will hope to score big and put the team in the commanding position.
During the 57th over, Sarfaraz smashed a four on Tim Southee's ball and he began celebrating after scoring a hundred by removing his helmet and also pointed towards the dressing room. It was the 22nd time when an Indian batter scored both a duck and a century in the same match. Shubman Gill also did the same as he was dismissed on a duck and then went on to score a hundred against the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side at Chepauk. Shikhar Dhawan is the other Indian batter to have scored a century after being dismissed on a duck against the Kiwis. The match happened in Auckland, where Dhawa scored 0 and 115 runs.
Rishabh Pant came into bat on the fourth day after Virat Kohli was dismissed on 70 runs at stumps on Day 3. Pant, who was suffering from a knee injury, joined Sarfaraz Khan in the middle under overcast conditions. Sarfaraz began the day with his unbeaten knock of 70 runs and then brought up his century in no time. His innings included some brilliant strokeplay, like the ramp shots and uppercuts.
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After Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed, Rohit Sharma scored 16 runs off eight balls. His unfortunate dismissal as he tried to defend the ball, brought Sarfaraz Khan out and he then scored 23 runs off 16 balls. Virat Kohli then smashed Ajaz Patel for a six as the ball went down the track. The Indian batters didn't slow down after that. Kohli and Sarfaraz stitched a partnership of 136 runs and helped the team bounce back after getting all-out on 46 during the first innings.