India’s ace left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has expressed his admiration for Sarfaraz Khan‘s batting prowess. He is hopeful that Sarfaraz Khan can replicate his impressive double century from the Irani Cup in the ongoing first Test against New Zealand. Kuldeep believes that Sarfaraz’s aggressive batting style keeps bowlers on their toes and puts pressure on the opposition.
India’s batting resurgence in the second innings of the Bengaluru Test was led by Sarfaraz Khan (70 not out), Virat Kohli (70), and Rohit Sharma (52), who took India to 231/3 on Day 3. The trio combined to guide India to a strong position on Day 3, leaving them with a significant task on Day 4. With Kohli and Rohit dismissed, all eyes will be on Sarfaraz Khan to continue his stellar form and propel India to a competitive total.
India National Cricket Team star left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav is hopeful of the young batter Sarfaraz Khan smashing a double century in the Test series opener against the New Zealand National Cricket Team. The first Test of the three-match series between the Rohit Sharma-led side and the Kiwis is being hosted by the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Sarfaraz Khan Played Amazing Knock On Day 3
Sarfaraz Khan was among the five Indian batters who bagged a duck in the first innings en route to the embarrassing 46 all out. However, the youngster showcased his true class in the second innings when the pitch settled down.
Sarfaraz Khan frustrated the New Zealand bowlers with his unorthodox style of play and played aggressive cricket. He achieved the half-century milestone off 42 balls, with 6 fours and 3 sixes.
Sarfaraz Khan was involved in a terrific 136-run partnership with Virat Kohli, and the duo brought the momentum towards India. However, on the last ball of the day, Kohli was dismissed, which was a huge blow to the side. Sarfaraz Khan, on the other hand, remained unbeaten on 70 off 78 balls, including 7 fours and 3 sixes.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav attended the post-day press conference where he stated that he is hoping to see Sarfaraz replicate his Irani Cup heroics in the Bengaluru Test and smash a double ton. He stated (as quoted by Revsportz):
Kuldeep Yadav puts pressure on Sarfaraz Khan to hit double century in Bengaluru Test on Day 4.
Team India’s left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav is hoping that Sarfaraz Khan can score a double hundred in the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru just like he did for Mumbai in the Irani Cup. He also praised Sarfaraz Khan as a batter who does not allow bowlers to settle down.
Sarfaraz Khan (70*), Virat Kohli (70) and Rohit Sharma (52) led India’s fightback in the Bengaluru Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The hosts went to stumps on Day 3 in their second innings on Friday, October 18 at 231-3. They still trail the Kiwis by 125 runs, with seven wickets in hand.
With Kohli and Rohit back in the hut, India will have high hopes from Sarfaraz on Day 4 as they look to set New Zealand a challenging fourth-innings target. Speaking after the end of play on Friday, Kuldeep Yadav admitted that the hosts are banking on Sarfaraz to convert his fifty into a big knock. He said (as quoted by PTI):
“We enjoy his [Sarfaraz] batting a lot. You saw how he scored a 200 in the Irani Cup. I hope he scores a double hundred here too… He doesn’t allow the spinners to settle down. He counter-attacked the left-arm spinner [Ajaz Patel], and they had to bring in a fast bowler from one end.”
Sarfaraz smashed an unbeaten 222 in the Irani Cup earlier this month as Mumbai beat the Rest of India on the first-innings lead to be declared winners.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep asserted that India can still make a match out of the Bengaluru Test if they have enough runs to defend since there is turn on offer.
“The spinners were getting some help when we were bowling, and hopefully, we will get more spin on Day 5. But for that, we need a good total to defend. Considering our bowling attack, we will be aiming at setting an effective target. We can’t predict a proper total right now as a lot of batting is still left for us,” he stated.
India suffered a big setback just before stumps on Day 3 in Bengaluru as Kohli was dismissed by Glenn Phillips off the last ball. The former India captain and Sarfaraz had added 136 runs for the third wicket.
Kuldeep Yadav shares his views on Rachin Ravindra
Earlier in the day, New Zealand resumed their first innings on 180-3 and went on to post an impressive score of 402. India struck a few early blows, but Rachin Ravindra (134) ensured the Kiwis took a massive first-innings lead of 356. Praising the left-handed batter, Kuldeep commented:
“He’s batted really well. I did miss the chance of taking his wicket a couple of times. But overall, he is a great player and has improved a lot in the last two years. He has a good batting technique and looks comfortable against the spinners. But I just hope he doesn’t bat so well in the remaining contests against us.”
Ravindra and Tim Southee (65) added 137 runs for the eighth wicket as New Zealand recovered from 233-7 to post 402 on the board before India’s epic fight back.