Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan smashed counter-attacking fifties before the former got out on last ball of day three as India reached 231/3 in 49 overs at stumps and trail New Zealand by 125 runs in the first Test at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
After Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 72 runs for the first wicket, Sarfaraz came out all guns blazing to be unbeaten on 70 off 78 balls – laced with seven fours and three sixes. Kohli was at his usual best – driving, lofting and sweeping with ease – and became the fourth India to reach the 9000 Test run milestone during the course of his 70 off 102 balls.
But him being taken out by Glenn Phillips just before the day’s play ended capped off a sensational day of Test cricket which began with Rachin Ravindra’s excellent 134 giving New Zealand a 356-run first-innings lead.
The final session began with three boundaries, before the 72-run opening ended when Jaiswal stepped out against Ajaz Patel, got beaten and was easily stumped. Rohit then hit a hat-trick of flurry boundaries off Matt Henry – last of which got him his 18th Test fifty. But in the next over, Rohit defended on the front foot off Patel, but the ball bounced off the inner half of the bat and rolled onto the stumps.
Sarfaraz was the initial aggressor by sweeping Patel for back-to-back fours, before he ramped and upper-cut off William O’Rourke to leave the crowd amazed. The strategy to attack Patel became clearer when Kohli hit a six and two fours, followed by Sarfaraz slogging him for two maximums.
After a late dab off Southee running for four, Sarfaraz got his fourth Test fifty, followed by Kohli getting his 31st Test half-century. The great 136-run stand ended when at the stroke of stumps, Kohli poked at a non-turning ball from Phillips and that carried a faint edge behind, which was confirmed by DRS, as he departed for 70.
In a post-match discussion on ‘Match Centre Live’, JioCinema and Sports18 expert Anil Kumble shared his thoughts on Virat Kohli’s performance on Day 3 of the 1st Test between India and New Zealand: “The sweep shot is something he’s added to his repertoire, and that’s what great players do. The spinners didn’t allow him to settle in early on, and he was a bit circumspect—that’s what caused that nibble he had to play against the left-arm spinner early on. But as soon as he stepped out and hit that six, he opened up. From then onwards, he played his shots against the fast bowlers—the cover drive, the straight drive—and looked to take singles and doubles. That’s what Virat Kohli does, and sitting there with nine thousand-plus runs is a fantastic achievement for someone who started thirteen years ago. To be among the greats, I’m sure he’ll be proud of these achievements.”
Kumble also spoke about Sarfaraz Khan’s performance: “He’s been brilliant. He’s been very consistent in the domestic format, and he was obviously disappointed when he didn’t get picked after that wonderful season a couple of years ago with the Indian team. Against Bangladesh, he didn’t get an opportunity, so he went back and played for Mumbai, scoring a double hundred in the Irani Trophy. Today, you could see why he scores so heavily in the domestic format. He’s someone who loves to play unorthodox shots and unsettles the bowlers. The fast bowlers think they can rattle him with short-pitched deliveries, but he’s adapted to that—he uses the pace of the bowler. Despite his stature—short, not really tall—he can go over point and is very nimble on his feet.”
Kumble further analysed how Sarfaraz tackles spinners and utilizes the cut shot: “I don’t think he allows any spinner to bowl at him. Against spinners, he stands slightly deeper in the crease. Since he’s not really tall and doesn’t move much, as a spinner you’re tempted to bowl quicker and try to get him LBW. On this surface, with the odd ball keeping low, you think you have a chance of getting him out. But he uses his lack of movement to his advantage—standing slightly outside the off-stump, using the pace, and just tapping the ball. That’s his strength. Once he does that, spinners feel they should bowl fuller, and that plays into his hands. That’s exactly what he’s done today, especially against Ajaz Patel.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
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