Sarfaraz Khan stormed his way to a remarkable fifty, cracking it in just 48 balls to mark his dream yet emotional debut in Rajkot during third Test against England on February 15.
Welcomed into the fold by Mark Wood, who had dismissed India captain Rohit Sharma in the preceding delivery, Sarfaraz Khan faced a challenging bouncer as he embarked on his international journey, which he skillfully evaded. From thereon he was unstoppable.
Apparently Sarfaraz Khan clobbered the joint-second fastest century for India in Tests on debut Yuvraj of Patiala tops the chart with a 42-ball fifty against England in 1934.
Fastest fifties on men's Test debut for India:
42 - Yuvraj of Patiala vs ENG, 1934
48 - Hardik Pandya vs SL, 2017
48 - Sarfaraz Khan vs ENG, 2024
50 - Shikhar Dhawan vs AUS, 2013
56 - Prithvi Shaw vs WI, 2018
Emotional debut for run-machine Sarfaraz Khan
With his family and fans watching eagerly, the Mumbai batsman took some time to find his rhythm but eventually unleashed his strokeplay with a well-timed shot off Rehan Ahmed. Shortly after, the 26-year-old lofted a delivery from Root for another boundary, sparking joy among spectators and teammates alike as Sarfaraz began to find his form in Rajkot. His third boundary came off Root as well, with Sarfaraz displaying his trademark sweep shot. While the execution of the shot wasn't flawless, the outcome was as desired.
The sweep shot became a recurring feature in the following overs, as Sarfaraz displayed a particular fondness for Root's off-spin, punctuating his innings with another aggressive stroke to surpass the 20-run mark.
Sarfaraz's aggressive approach earned praise from Graeme Swann, who had observed the Mumbai batsman during his matches against the England Lions. Swann noted that Sarfaraz was displaying the same attacking mindset he had shown in the series, during which he scored a magnificent 161 in the second unofficial Test. Maintaining his aggression, Sarfaraz took on Tom Hartley with a powerful backfoot pull, dispatching the half-tracker to the boundary to accelerate into the 40s. Another well-executed shot off Joe Root propelled the 26-year-old further, as he reached his maiden fifty with a single after hitting his first six off Hartley.
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