Sanjay Manjrekar has compared Sarfaraz Khan to Javed Miandad after the latter scored an unbeaten 70 on Day 3 of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Bengaluru. India National Cricket Team was 356 runs behind on the basis of the first innings and needed to respond in their second essay.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 72 runs for the first wicket, but they were dismissed in quick succession, leaving the score at 95/2. The 26-year-old didn’t feel any tension and smashed the Kiwi bowlers for seven boundaries and three sixes, taking India’s total to 231/3 at stumps.
“Sarfaraz Khan reminds me of Javed Miandad, but this is a 2024 version of the legendary batter. I am impressed with the way he batted. I know he is strong against the spinners, but I liked the way he performed against the pacers,” Sanjay Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo.
“Towards the end of the day, he avoided bouncers. Sarfaraz wanted to play the day out to keep his wicket intact. He should travel to Australia with the Indian team because he has been outstanding in the format,” he added.
He replaced the injured Shubman Gill in the playing XI, but was dismissed for a duck in the first innings.
The Mumbai-based batter scored 200 runs in three matches in his debut Test series against England. He was benched in the two-Test series against Bangladesh to accommodate KL Rahul in the playing group.
India were bowled out for 46 in their first innings, while New Zealand posted 402 in reply. Rachin Ravindra accumulated 134 for the visiting side.
Apart from Sarfaraz, Virat Kohli (70) and Rohit Sharma (50) were also among the runs as the team finished at 231/3.
The home team still trails by 125 runs with seven wickets in hand.
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