'It never looked like it was his first Test innings' - Anil Kumble lauds Sarfaraz Khan's debut innings in Rajkot

In a conversation on ‘Match Centre Live’, at the end of Day 1 of the 3rd India-England Test in Rajkot, Anil Kumble, JioCinema and Sports18 expert, spoke about debutant Sarfaraz Khan’s innings of 62, saying: “It never looked like it was his first Test innings. We all know about the talent he has and we have seen him dominate spin at the domestic level. But at the Test level, you need a completely different mindset and to have that approach and play that free-flowing innings was brilliant.

He was certainly tested by Mark Wood, but coming in and dominating the spinners was outstanding. And the way he batted – more than a run a ball with the kind of shot selection, he was very assured in his approach. After he took the bowlers on, the next ball was played on the backfoot just to manoeuvre that single and get off strike. Brilliant batting from Sarfaraz.”

Kumble also spoke about the Ravindra Jadeja-Sarfaraz Khan partnership, saying: “Yes, Sarfaraz was dominating the partnership but Jadeja, I thought, got into a shell, and that sometimes creates a mindset where you are not clear about the decision-making. Maybe, that was one of the reasons and possibility I passed on my bad luck of my debut run-out to Sarfaraz!”

Kumble then analyzed Jadeja’s century, saying: “He’s batted brilliantly and came in at a time when India were under a lot of trouble. He was promoted ahead of Sarfaraz Khan and then with skipper Rohit Sharma he put on a fantastic partnership. Then once Rohit got out, he continued and he’s still there at the crease to start fresh tomorrow. So, another century for Jadeja – like we have been discussing the last few years he’s been outstanding, not just with the ball but with the bat as well.”

Owais Shah, spoke of skipper Rohit Sharma’s knock, saying: “India were under pressure at 33-3. Rohit and Jadeja batted brilliantly after that. The captain was under pressure to score and was awaiting a century for a long time and he delivered. He just committed one mistake and yes, he lost his wicket there.”

Parthiv Patel, too analysed Rohit Sharma’s innings, saying: “The best thing about the knock was Rohit’s control while playing the ball off the backfoot. The field was set for the lofted hit and he played with control and scored lots of runs playing the ball along the ground. He only committed one mistake, on the ball he got out to, where he played it in the air, otherwise it was a brilliant innings. What we are seeing with Rohit Sharma is that he is adapting to conditions beautifully.”