Team India batter Sarfaraz Khan endured a forgettable outing on his home ground after an appalling dismissal in the second innings of the third Test against New Zealand. The right-handed batter was dismissed for one run after falling to a full toss by Ajaz Patel, prolonging the hosts' collapse in pursuit of the 147-run target in the fourth innings.
Sarfaraz Khan came into bat at No.6 this time around, when India were reeling at 28-4 in the seventh over after Yashavi Jaiswal's dismissal. The hometown player had departed without scoring in the first innings, and much was expected from him after a chaotic start to proceedings on Day 3.
With solidity being the need of the hour, it was expected that Sarfaraz Khan would contribute to India grinding out the tough phase. However, only in his second delivery at the crease, he was tempted by a full toss by the left-arm spinner. His eyes lit up as he went for a full-blooded sweep shot. However, the ball landed directly in the hands of the fielder at deep square leg.
Have a look at the dismissal right here:
Since the brilliant hundred in the series opener in Bengaluru, Sarfaraz's scores have dipped. He recorded only 20 runs in the Pune Test across both innings, and concludes the series with two ducks to his name in total.
India in deep trouble after Sarfaraz Khan's dismissal
Despite the pitch having demons, the expectation was that India would find a way to develop an approach to chase down the target in the final innings. However, nothing has gone according to plan as the hosts collapsed from the word go. After Sarfaraz Khan departed, the score was reduced to 29-5.
India are a long way off from the target, but have the luxury of a long batting lineup. The likes of Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin are yet to come into bat, while the left-handed pair of Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja are assessing the situation at the minute.
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