After a long wait, Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan made his Test debut for India on Thursday (February 15). The 26-year-old received his maiden Test cap from the legendary Anil Kumble in the team huddle ahead of the third Test against England in Rajkot.

Sarfaraz, who averages nearly 70 in first-class cricket, was drafted into the Indian squad after KL Rahul picked up a right quadriceps injury in the series opener in Hyderabad.

While Sarfaraz warmed the bench in the second Test in Vizag, Rahul’s injury and Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from the side due to poor form paved the way for his inclusion in the Rajkot Test.

Sarfaraz’s father, Naushad Khan, who was present at the stadium, couldn’t hold back his tears as his son became the 311th player to represent India in Test cricket.

Playing in front of his father on Test debut, Sarfaraz Khan held his nerves to score a sparkling half-century. He was looking set for a three-figure mark but a mix-up with Ravindra Jadeja resulted in him getting run out for 62 off 66 balls.

Addressing the media after the day’s play, Sarfaraz admitted that “some pressure” is off his shoulders as he didn’t let his father’s hard work go waste.

“Runs and performances were not on my mind as much as I was happy playing for India in front of my father. He was not ready to come but some people insisted that he goes there, obviously he had to come over since he worked so hard only for this day. He was very emotional as I took the cap in front of him and so was my wife. I felt as if some pressure was off my shoulders given the hard work he had put in on me — I did not waste it,” Sarfaraz told reporters.

From receiving the cap in front of his father to playing the way he did, it was indeed a dream come true for Sarfaraz Khan. No wonder, he summed it up as the “proudest moment” of his life.

“I really liked it… coming to the ground for the first time and got the cap in front of my father. I was six years old when he started my cricket. It was my dream to play for the Indian team in front of him. It was my father’s dream to play for India but unfortunately it couldn’t happen due to some reasons and there wasn’t much support from home then. Then he worked very hard on me and is now doing on my brother. It was the proudest moment of my life,” he added.

After India were reduced to 33/3 in the morning session, Ravindra Jadeja came out to bat at No. 5. The all-rounder added 204 runs for the fourth wicket with skipper Rohit Sharma (131) to bail the hosts out of trouble.

The marathon partnership between Jadeja and Rohit meant Sarfaraz had to wait for a long time with the pads on but he wasn’t complaining.

“I was padded for almost four hours. I kept thinking that I have kept so much patience in life and there is no harm in keeping some more. After I went in, was nervous for first few balls but I have practiced and worked so hard that everything went well,” he said.

While England operated with attacking fields when Sarfaraz was batting, the batter cashed in on the scoring opportunities. He employed the sweep shot to good effect and didn’t hesitate to take the aerial route as well.

“I have been doing this for a long time and the field was also up. I had an opportunity and they had one too — they had the chance against a new batter who could make a mistake resulting in another wicket for them and I had the opportunity when the field was up and I also play the spinners well. I played freely on the loose balls with a singular plan,” he remarked.

Coming to the match, India finished the opening day at 326/5, with Ravindra Jadeja (110*) and nightwatchman Kuldeep Yadav (1*) unbeaten in the middle. Mark Wood was the pick of the English bowlers, returning with the figures of 3/69 in his 17 overs.