WATCH: Mitchell Santner shatters Sarfaraz Khan’s stumps with a magnificence on Day 3 of the Pune Check

In a gripping encounter on the Maharashtra Cricket Affiliation Stadium in Pune, Staff India’s middle-order batter, Sarfaraz Khan, discovered himself as soon as once more outmanoeuvred by New Zealand‘s left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner. This dismissal got here throughout the second innings of the second Check match, the place Sarfaraz managed solely a low rating of 9 runs, contributing to India’s struggles within the ongoing sequence. With the staff trailing 0-1 after shedding the primary Check, they’re now getting ready to defeat on this match, needing to chase down a frightening goal of 359 runs.

Mitchell Santner will get Sarfaraz Khan

The Indian batting lineup confronted a big problem of their fourth innings, shedding seven wickets for simply 178 runs. The scenario grew to become more and more dire as Sarfaraz was dismissed on the second ball of the thirty sixth over. Santner delivered a sluggish, flighted ball that straightened after pitching, evading Sarfaraz’s outdoors edge and putting the off stump. This marked Santner’s second consecutive five-wicket haul within the match, additional solidifying his standing as a key participant for New Zealand.

Additionally WATCH: Ravindra Jadeja pulls off an MS Dhoni to expire William O’Rourke on Day 3 of the second Check

Right here’s the video:

It ain’t the pitch, its Mitch 🤷🏻‍♂️#INDvNZ #IDFCFirstBankTestTrophy #TeamIndia #Santner #JioCinemaSports pic.twitter.com/3KUKUszQfM

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) October 26, 2024

Ravindra Jadeja: The lone warrior

As India’s hopes dimmed, Ravindra Jadeja stood because the final acknowledged batter on the crease. With greater than 130 runs nonetheless wanted for victory, Jadeja confronted an uphill battle towards a formidable New Zealand bowling assault. The decrease order, that includes Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah, to supply slightly to no assurance as India misplaced Jadeja on 42 shedding the sequence and the Pune Check by 113 runs margin.

Regardless of his latest struggles, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has voiced robust assist for Sarfaraz’s inclusion within the squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy sequence in Australia. Chopra acknowledged Sarfaraz’s commendable performances towards England and emphasised that his choice ought to be thought of given his potential contributions to the staff. Nonetheless, he expressed uncertainty about whether or not Sarfaraz would make it into the enjoying XI for Australia.

“Within the squad, sure; within the enjoying XI, we don’t know but,” Chopra said throughout a media interplay. He famous that with a five-Check match sequence forward, having a bigger squad is likely to be useful. “Sarfaraz has proven promise at any time when he has performed; there is no such thing as a cause to invest that he received’t be a part of the touring squad,” he added.

As India grapples with these challenges on dwelling soil, their probabilities of successful this Check sequence cling by a thread. The staff’s batting woes proceed to plague them, with their incapacity to put up substantial totals proving expensive. With New Zealand poised for a historic sequence win in India—one thing that hasn’t occurred in over a decade—the stress is mounting on Rohit Sharma and his males to regroup and reply successfully.