Sarfaraz Khan Livid With Rishabh Pant as New Zealand Misses Run Out Chance in Historic Test

Sarfaraz Khan celebrated a remarkable achievement by scoring his maiden Test century, forging a crucial partnership with Rishabh Pant on Day 4 of the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. After two challenging days of cricket, the Indian team finally regained confidence as Sarfaraz and Pant displayed aggressive intent, crucial for India’s fightback.

With rain washing out the first day and India being bowled out for a mere 46 in their first innings, they found themselves trailing by 356 runs after New Zealand posted 402. Following a difficult Day 3, where India reached 231 but lost the well-set Virat Kohli on the last ball, all eyes turned to the first session of Day 4. Sarfaraz Khan rose to the occasion, not only scoring a maiden Test century but also stitching a 50-plus unbeaten stand with Pant.

Sarfaraz Khan's Frustration During a Crucial Moment

However, the partnership nearly came to an abrupt end due to a massive mix-up in the middle. Sarfaraz Khan was visibly livid as he attempted to prevent Pant from taking a risky second run, especially with New Zealand wicketkeeper Tom Blundell poised near the stumps with the ball in hand. The incident left India captain Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin stunned, only to break into laughter after the moment passed without incident.

Reflecting on the day’s earlier challenges, Kuldeep Yadav noted that India found themselves trailing by 125 runs after Kohli’s late dismissal. He acknowledged the difficulties of controlling the run rate on a pitch that provided little assistance to spinners. New Zealand's stellar batting, highlighted by a century from Rachin Ravindra and a counter-attacking half-century from Tim Southee, contributed significantly to their innings.

At the end of Day 3, Kohli's dismissal for 70 by Glenn Phillips ended a vital 136-run partnership with Sarfaraz Khan. As they prepared for Day 4, Kuldeep emphasized the need for a session-by-session approach to overcome the deficit.

"It's tough to control runs here. There wasn't much turn yesterday, possibly due to the pitch being a bit damp. Without significant turn or rough patches, even good deliveries can be scored off," Kuldeep stated in the post-day press conference.

"Credit to New Zealand, they batted really well. We need to bat well tomorrow. We made a good start today but are still 125 runs behind. We have to take it session by session," he added.