After making his debut for the Indian Test team, Sarfaraz Khan has already made a decent impact contributing fifties in both innings in the third fixture against England at Rajkot. The Indian skipper Rohit Sharma believes that he had the right mindset coming in for his debut.
Speaking at the press conference, the skipper revealed that he had not known much about Sarfaraz but had heard from the other Mumbai players.
He shared,” I haven’t seen Sarfaraz Khan bat much but whatever I have heard on him from Mumbai players, I have been told that he has scored runs in difficult situations for Mumbai. That shows the mindset with which he plays and how he approaches the game.”
Rohit believes that the 26-year-old has been doing the right things, especially at the domestic level by putting in performances for Mumbai. The 26-year-old has racked up over 4000 runs in 46 matches with an average of 70.91. This includes 14 centuries and 13 fifties as well.
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The Indian captain also highlighted his consistency in the first-class format by adding,” He has scored big runs… Not 70s, 80s, 100s, 120s. He has scored triple hundreds and double hundreds. He has the hunger to score runs and has been continuously scoring in the domestic circuit. So he is doing something right to be that consistent.“
Talking about his plans when giving him the debut, Rohit revealed that he did not think too much and was suggested by his teammates in Mumbai to give him his freedom and he would deliver.
“We had no plan or discussion with him because I was told by his Mumbai teammates that it is better to leave him free and he will do the job,” said Rohit.
Rohit was understanding that a debutant could be nervous when playing his first international match but did not see nerves in the young man. The captain also highlighted that he was very emotional. Especially after handing his cap, the player had an emotional moment with his father and wife.
He also mentioned that he was fully focused on the match as well. He shared, ”When he received the cap in the morning, he was very emotional but he was involved in the game moment the match started. “
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The skipper added that Sarfaraz was also looking to contribute to the game wherever possible. He concluded by saying,” He was looking to make a difference with his batting, fielding, and energy. He is known for these things. Felt good to see his performance.”
Sarfaraz has already made a strong start to his international career, but it remains to be seen whether the Indian team will go on to continue with him, especially with KL Rahul likely to return for the fourth Test at Ranchi. An ideal scenario would be that Rajat Patidar would give way for KL’s return but it remains to be seen how the team selections will play out.
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