Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif reckoned that a player should not be kept out because of fitness after Sarfaraz Khan smashed his maiden Test century in the ongoing first Test match against New Zealand at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
After getting out on a duck in the first inning, the batter scored 150 runs in the second innings which helped India to take the lead after getting bundled out for 46 in the first inning.
Indian players with duck and century in same Test
| Players | Scores | Opposition | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madhav Apte | 0, 163 | West Indies | 1953 |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 0, 118 | Australia | 1977 |
| Dilip Vengsarkar | 0, 103 | England | 1979 |
| Mohammad Azharuddin | 0, 109 | Pakistan | 1989 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 0, 136 | Pakistan | 1999 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 0, 114 | New Zealand | 2014 |
| Virat Kohli | 0, 104 | Sri Lanka | 2017 |
| Shubman Gill | 0, 119 | Bangladesh | 2024 |
| Sarfaraz Khan | 0, 150* | New Zealand | 2024 |
Sarfaraz was out of international cricket reportedly due to fitness despite scoring runs in the domestic circuit backed by Kaif. The former India cricketer took his 'X' (formerly known as Twitter) to hail Sarfaraz for his batting.
"I have always maintained Sarfraz shouldn't be kept out because of fitness. He doesn't have a gym body but can bat for hours. Cricket is a game that accomodates all" wrote Kaif.
Sarfaraz made his Test debut during five Test match series against England where he scored 200 runs in five innings of his three Test outings. He made it to the playing XI after young batter Shubman Gill was unavailable due to a slight niggle in his neck.
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