Ganesh Kendale
NEW DELHI: Sarfaraz Khan spearheaded India’s fightback with a thrilling knock of 150 runs in the second innings of the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday.
Seizing the opportunity after being drafted in for Shubman Gill, who missed the match due to a stiff neck, Sarfaraz made his presence felt.
After a disappointing duck in the first innings, the right-hander bounced back with a stroke-laden maiden Test century.He brought up the milestone with a boundary off Tim Southee and celebrated with a jubilant sprint.
Sarfaraz’s teammates and the support staff joined in the celebration from the dressing room, beaming with joy and pride as they shared in his moment of triumph.
The BCCI quickly put together a montage of two moments separated by more than nine years. Despite the gap, two familiar faces featured in both videos – Sarfaraz and Virat Kohli. One clip was from IPL 2015, while the other captured the ongoing Test match between India and New Zealand.
It was April 29, 2015 and 17-year-old Sarfaraz had just scored a cracking 21-ball 45 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru down the order to propel his side to 200 for 7 in an IPL clash against Rajasthan Royals.
And as soon as Sarfaraz wrapped up his unbeaten knock, skipper Kohli came onto the field with a big smile on his face and a lovely gesture.
Recalling the moment, Sarfaraz shared details about his first ever interaction with Kohli and how his gesture made his day.
“I met him at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium for the first time. I had scored 45 runs in 21 balls here and he bowed at me. I had a lot of fun that day. It was a dream to share an Indian team dressing room with him it will come true in the future if I get the opportunity,” Sarfaraz told Jio Cinema.
Sarfaraz shared his experience of playing alongside the batting great in RCB and highlighted Kohli’s love and passion for the game.
“His (Virat Kohli’s) passion and spirit are unmatched. Whenever I saw him, even in the pre-match meetings, he’d take charge and tell everyone how many runs he’d score off a particular bowler and break that down for everyone. To be gutsy enough to stand up and talk with such positivity in front of everyone and then deliver the next day is a very unique ability,” Sarfaraz said.
