“Not Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja but Day 1 of third Test belongs to Sarfaraz Khan”: Parthiv Patel

RAJKOT, India (AP) — Centuries by Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja underpinned India reaching 326-5 against England on day one Thursday of the third test.

India was 33-3 but Sharma and Jadeja rebuilt the innings with a 204-run stand. Sarfaraz Khan equalled the record for the fastest India half-century on test debut, 50 off 48. He was eventually run out for 62 just before stumps.

Jadeja was unbeaten on 110 and Sharma opened with 131.

England pacer Mark Wood took 3-69 from 17 overs.

Sharma and Jadeja played out the first wicketless session of the series in the afternoon. Jadeja reached 50 off 97 balls, and the two batters brought up 150 runs together.

India went to tea at 185-3, then Sharma brought up his 11th test hundred off 157 balls.

The skipper opened up a bit more to hit three sixes and looked set for more but faced a short ball barrage from Wood after tea. Sharma mishit one Wood delivery straight to counterpart Ben Stokes at midwicket and was out within the first hour after tea.

That brought to the crease Khan, who belied his maiden test appearance by smashing the bowlers. Khan hit seven fours and a six, and a quick-fire 50 off 70 balls with Jadeja.

Khan was intent to race to three figures but his stay was cut short in a mixup with Jadeja, who was on 99 not out. He hit straight to mid-on, changed his mind about a single, but Khan was too far out of the non-striken’s end and Wood hit the stumps directly.

Khan added 77 off 110 balls with Jadeja for the fifth wicket.

Former India player Parthiv Patel lauded Sarfaraz for his batting.

“Day 1 belongs to Sarfaraz Khan and not Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja. He played an aggressive knock and was sure of the shots he wanted to play. Sarfaraz looked set from ball one of his innings. In no time, he completed his fifty,” said Parthiv Patel.

Anil Kumble also heaped massive praise on the debutant. “It looked like Sarfaraz has been playing at this level for ages. There was no nervousness and he never came the impression of competing in his first Test,” Anil Kumble said.

The left-handed allrounder Jadeja registered his fourth test hundred off 198 balls, but didn’t celebrate with much enthusiasm.

It was his second test hundred at his home ground Rajkot, where he has two first-class triple hundreds and averages 142.18 with the bat.

Jadeja also became the third India allrounder to record 3,000 runs and 200 wickets in test cricket after Kapil Dev and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Earlier, Sharma and Jadeja helped India reach 93-3 at lunch.

India was reduced to 33-3 within nine overs after winning the toss.

Wood removed in-form batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill in the space of six deliveries.

Jaiswal, who scored a maiden double hundred in the second test, was caught at slip for 10 in the fourth over. Gill, who also scored a century in the previous test, was caught behind for a nine-ball duck.

Rajat Patidar, batting at No. 4 in the continued absence of Virat Kohli, was out for 5. He was caught at cover off Tom Hartley, fending off extra bounce.

Sharma was dropped on 27 by Joe Root in the slips off Hartley, and the skipper survived a lbw shout off James Anderson. Video review showed an inside edge.

India made four changes to the lineup that won at Visakhapatnam, giving test debuts to Khan and wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel. Jadeja and pace bowler Mohammed Siraj also returned. England made one change, with Wood in for off-spinner Shoiab Bashir.

The five-match series is level at 1-1.

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