February 15, 2024, will forever be etched in the memories of Sarfaraz Khan and his family as the youngster made his long-awaited debut for India in the ongoing third Test against England in Rajkot.
Middle-order batter Sarfaraz and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel got their maiden Test caps from Anil Kumble and Dinesh Karthik before the math began on Thursday.
Emotional debut for Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz's father Naushad and his wife Romana Zahoor were present at the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium to witness him wear the India Test cap and also score his first runs in international cricket.
Both Naushad and Romana had tears in their eyes when Sarfaraz got his Test cap. The cricketer rushed towards his family to show them his cap which Naushad held and kissed as well.
First runs in Test cricket
Then came the moment the 26-year-old and his family were waiting for such a long time. Sarfaraz finally got his chance to bat in the middle after the fall of captain Rohit Sharma's wicket in the final session.
Rohit was dismissed by Mark Wood on 131 in the 64th over. On his way back to the dressing room, the skipper gave Sarfaraz a pat on the back to wish him good luck as he headed out to bat.
Standing ovation from the family
Sarfaraz managed to negotiate the first five balls he faced before getting off the mark with 3 runs off Wood in the 66th over.
He got a juicy full toss on leg-stump from around the wicket from Wood which he played down towards long-on to collect his first runs for Team India.
Naushad and Romana both stood up to applaud Sarfaraz's shot, pictures of which went viral on social media.
Jio Cinema screenshot
India were 242 for 4 after the 66th over with Sarfaraz (3*) and Ravindra Jadeja (86*) on strike. Jadeja and Rohit stitched a crucial 204-run partnership for the fourth wicket to bail the hosts out of trouble and put the team in the driver's seat after they were reduced to 33 for 3 by the 9th over in the first session.
