Right-handed batter Sarfaraz Khan spoke about his dismissal after making a significant contribution to team India on the opening day of the third Test in the five-match series at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on Thursday.
Sarfaraz's dedication paid off when he scored an impressive 62 runs from 66 balls in his debut match, batting at number six. He displayed a brilliant performance and seemed poised to achieve a high score.
Unfortunately, a misunderstanding with star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the middle ended his impressive first innings prematurely, as he was run out by Mark Wood at the non-striker's end. The two batsmen had put together a partnership of 77 runs.
Sarfaraz was questioned about the event at the press briefing after the day's play in Rajkot, and the batsman seemed unfazed.
"There was a little miscommunication. This is part of the game. Sometimes there is a run-out, sometimes there is a run, and sometimes there is not. So all this goes on. He (Jadeja) said that there was a little miscommunication. And I said that it is okay. It happens. There is nothing big in it," Sarfaraz said during a post-day press conference.
The 26-year-old expressed gratitude to the versatile player for guiding him during his first game. Sarfaraz felt nervous at the start of his batting, even mishitting a slog sweep. He mentioned that Jadeja helped ease his nerves and encouraged him to play a substantial innings.
"When I was batting with Jadeja, I told him to play while communicating with me. I like to play that way. He helped me out a lot and supported me. He helped me control my nerves and told me to spend as much time as possible on the crease to understand everything. That is what I did and I scored runs," he added.
Sarfaraz's rise to the international stage has been eagerly awaited by fans, who have closely monitored his performance in domestic cricket. He has excelled in first-class cricket, particularly in the Ranji Trophy, where he was the leading run-scorer in 2021-22 with 982 runs in six matches, ranked fifth in the 2019-20 season with 928 runs in six matches, and also performed strongly in the 2022-23 season with 556 runs in six matches.
In the recent unofficial Test series of three matches against England Lions, which coincided with the series between the senior sides, Sarfaraz performed admirably for India A. He scored 96 in a Tour match and followed it up with scores of 4, 55, and 161 in two unofficial Tests.
In 45 top-tier matches, Sarfaraz accumulated 3,912 runs at an average of 69.85, including 14 centuries and 11 fifties, with a top score of 301*.
