Paul Collingwood, an assistant coach for England, heaps praise on Sarfaraz Khan for his first Test innings. During the press conference held at the conclusion of the first day of the third Test match, Collingwood praised Sarfaraz Khan‘s approach and called the Indian player bold for his debut innings.
Sarfaraz Khan’s wait to play for India comes to an end as he made his debut on Day 1 of the third Test of the series in Rajkot on Thursday, February 15. Collingwood explained a variety of strokes that put pressure on the visiting team and highlighted how Sarfaraz Khan continued to use his feet against the spinners.
The right-hander was new to the crease, but even when Ben Stokes had an attacking field, he wasn’t afraid to go over the top. Tragically, Sarfaraz Khan’s incredible 62-run knock came to an end when he miscommunicated with Ravindra Jadeja and was run out. If both batters had remained not out at Stumps, the hosts would have had an almost flawless first day.
It requires a great deal of bravery to step out and perform that way—Paul Collingwood compliments Sarfaraz Khan for his tremendous innings
The way Sarfaraz Khan played throughout his innings, it looked like he was playing for quite a while at the international stage, as he was clear with his mindset and about his game. In an interview with media following the first day’s play, Paul Collingwood discussed Sarfaraz Khan’s innings as follows:
“He sweeps really well and put the bowlers under pressure. On debut, it takes a lot of courage to come out and play like that. I guess from his point of view, it was a shame to get run out the way he did. You can see why he has got a pretty good first-class average — he looks a decent player,”
Three Indian batsmen were dismissed by England in the first ten overs of the Test match, giving them an early advantage. Mark Wood and James Anderson bowled a fantastic morning spell, leaving India reeling at 33/3, with very little assistance in the track.
With Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, India, on the other hand, fought back and gradually established a formidable 200+ run partnership. Due to successive hundreds from Jadeja and the Indian skipper, England’s bowling unit was rendered ineffective by the conclusion of the day as the hosts piled on runs.
Beauty about the game is you’ve got to try to make more opportunities- Paul Collingwood defends Root for dropping Rohit Sharma’s catch
With a stunning 131, Indian captain Rohit Sharma once again set the tone for the home team. They were in a perilous scenario at 33/3, but he made sure they didn’t collapse. But before Rohit had even reached the 30-run mark, he was given a second chance.
Over a hundred runs were cost to England when Joe Root failed to make the catch at first slip. Paul Collingwood, though, encouraged the guests to keep competing and stated:
“Nobody ever wants to drop catches and the beauty about the game is you’ve got to try to make more opportunities. That’s what Stokesy with his field placings and the bowlers did, trying to work out if they could change the mentality of the batters. On wickets that aren’t doing too much, you’ve got to take risks to try create chances.”
With Kuldeep Yadav (1*) and Ravindra Jadeja (110*) at the crease, India finished Day 1 at 326/5. With the pitch moist, England could benefit in the early session. To keep the hosts from scoring a huge amount of runs in the first inning, visitors must make the most of it.
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