India cricket team batter Sarfaraz Khan credited his participation in the Duleep Trophy for his knock in the IND vs NZ 1st Test at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. The Mumbai batter scored a blistering 150-run knock, which marked his maiden Test century for India on Day 4. Sarfaraz made most of his opportunity after getting a chance to feature in the XI as Shubman Gill missed the game due to a stiff neck.
How Duleep Trophy helped Sarfaraz Khan in IND vs NZ 1st Test
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Sarfaraz Khan revealed how playing one particular Duleep Trophy game in Bengaluru helped him assess the conditions better on Day 3 and 4 of the IND vs NZ 1st Test. The batter recalled that his team, India B, were in a similar situation as Rohit Sharma and co. when they were forced to ensure that quick runs were scored and a decent lead was taken before allowing the opponent to play their 2nd innings.
“Just a few weeks before, we had a Duleep Trophy match here. We had to counter attack in the 2nd innings, the same situation as this match (IND vs NZ 1st Test). We had to make runs and then allow them to play. So we (Sarfaraz and Pant) thought that Duleep Trophy days are back, let’s do the same thing again,” Sarfaraz Khan said.
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Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant tormented the New Zealand bowlers for nearly two complete sessions. The duo stitched together a 177-run partnership, helping India not only cut down New Zealand’s lead to nil but also help the side take a healthy lead. Sarfaraz Khan revealed that he attempted to give the strike to Pant when a left-arm slow bowler was into the attack as he was confident that the southpaw could hit the ball out of the park.
The Rishabh Pant-Sarfaraz Khan mix up
Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant were involved in a hilarious mix up in the middle of their partnership. The Mumbai batter was seen jumping and waving his hand to the southpaw in a desperate attempt to deny a run while the latter had already began running. Asked about the moment, Sarfaraz revealed that it had already been discussed that they would be careful with letting Pant run between the wickets.
Pant suffered an injury scare earlier on Day 2 when he developed a swelling on his right knee after being hit by the ball. He came out to bat on Day 4 after missing Day 3 of the match, where Dhruv Jurel replaced him. Sarfaraz Khan admitted that he was tensed for a bit but admitted that the team was relieved as it did not affect Pant.
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