Indian men’s cricket team captain Rohit Sharma went into overdrive gushing praises for Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan after the duo performed like a dream, but unfortunately went in vain as India lost the first Test against New Zealand by 8 wickets in Bengaluru on October 20. India was unable to defend a target of 107 but the team still features its first home Test defeat against New Zealand since 1988.
On day four of the match, Pant and Sarfaraz went great guns. Sarfaraz, who had walked back to the pavilion with a duck in the first innings, made a spectacular recovery with a 150-run knock; while Pant fell just 1 run short of a hundred – 99 off 105 balls.
“It is exciting watching them play. And I can be proud of the effort they make,” Rohit Shanker added. He said, “We could have easily been bowled out cheaply but proud of the effort. Everyone is on the edge of their seats when those two are playing. They like to play the game, which has got them success. Rishabh, with the way he bats, takes a lot of risks, but I thought it was mature innings in the game. Defended good balls and left a few balls and then backed himself to play those shots as well. Sarfaraz showed great maturity as well. He is only playing his 4th Test match, and to show that kind of maturity, it was very clear in his mind what shots he wanted to play.”
The Indian skipper also recalled how the team has bounced back from losses before, citing the earlier series against England this year. “Games like these happen. We take the positives and move forward. There are guys who have been in this situation before. We lost a game against England and went on to win four games after that. Two Test matches to go, and we know exactly what is needed from each one of us. We will try and put our best game forward.”
The second Test between India and New Zealand will be in Pune from October 24 to 28, followed by the third Test in Mumbai from November 1 to 5.