‘I simply focus on things under my control,’ says Sarfaraz, after 150 against NZ in 1st Test

Sarfaraz Khan plays a shot, on 4th day of the first Test match between India and New Zealand at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 19, 2024.
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Sarfaraz Khan took his chance and ran with it. Drafted into the XI against New Zealand for the first Test in Bengaluru in place of an injured Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz faced the pressure to perform.

A duck on Thursday was a thing of the past when he batted in the second innings. In a knock that will be remembered for years to come, Sarfaraz put the opposition into panic mode with a brilliant 150. The question now arises — how to accommodate the form Mumbaikar in the XI when Gill is back to action?

Sarfaraz can solve this puzzle the only way he knows — making mountains of runs on both the international and domestic circuit.

Asked how he stays motivated when he is out of the side, Sarfaraz replied, “I just keep following the same process. I have been scoring runs for the last four to five years. I simply focus on the things under my control, and do well in practice.”

Comical sight

The 26-year-old was involved in a tangle with Rishabh Pant early in their partnership, when Pant survived an easy run-out chance. Sarfaraz was seen animatedly jumping up and down to catch Pant’s attention and refuse the second — quite a comical sight.

“Rishabh had got struck on his knee a couple of days back. So there was a discussion that we need to run carefully. After playing a late cut, I called for two (runs).

“But I soon realised that he has an injured knee and would not be able to run fast. Therefore, I immediately said ‘No’ and raised my hand after the first run, but Pant kept running at me without watching me,” Sarfaraz said.

Sarfaraz used the late and upper cut to great effect — a shot he practices at his home in Mumbai.

“I like playing the balls that rise high. I have a bouncy wicket back at home. I play regularly there, and the bounce easily allows me to cut the ball. They (Kiwis) were trying to ball short at me, and I simply played accordingly. It was fun,” Sarfaraz said.