IND v ENG 2024: De Villiers proud of ex-RCB teammate Sarfaraz’s heroics on Test debut; lauds Jaiswal’s aggressive display

Sarfaraz and Jaiswal played a key role in India's Rajkot Test win over England.

Sarfaraz Khan and Yashasvi Jaiswal | GettyIndia batter Sarfaraz Khan impressed one and all with his performances on Test debut against England in Rajkot last week.

In his maiden Test innings, Sarfaraz Khan held his nerves to score a 48-ball half-century. The right-hander was looking set for a hundred but a mix-up with Ravindra Jadeja saw him departing for 62 off 66 balls.

Sarfaraz scored another brilliant half-century (68* off 72 balls) in the second essay to script India’s emphatic 434-run victory that also gave them a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Impressed with his exploits, South African legend AB de Villiers hailed Sarfaraz Khan as a "level-headed" and "down-to-earth" guy, who got an opportunity to play for India after grinding a lot in domestic cricket.

"I have played with this boy before and he is a very level-headed and down-to-earth guy. I am really proud of him. It was great to see his dad blow kisses after Sarfaraz reached fifty and it was heartwarming for me to watch," De Villiers said about his former RCB teammate while speaking on his YouTube channel.

Yashasvi Jaiswal is another young Indian batter who has taken the cricketing world by storm with his stunning exploits in the ongoing series against England.

The left-handed opener has amassed 545 runs from six innings at an average of 109 and a strike rate of 81.10, including two double hundreds and a half-century.

The former Proteas skipper lauded Yashasvi Jaiswal for making the "game look so easy".

"There are not enough words...It is aggressive batting and just makes the game look so easy. I love watching him (Jaiswal) play and it seems like the pressure is always on the bowlers," he stated.

After an extended lean patch, the 24-year-old Shubman Gill also returned to form in the Vizag Test, scoring a gritty hundred (104) in the second innings. Gill followed it up with a brilliant knock of 91 in the second innings of Rajkot Test.

De Villiers reckons Gill’s last knock must have given him some "breathing space" in the highly competitive environment of Team India.

"He (Gill) has been under pressure and is not in the best of forms. But he played such a crucial knock under pressure and that too at a crucial point in his career. This innings was crucial for him to get some breathing space in that Indian team," he remarked.

The fourth Test between India and England is scheduled to begin on February 23 in Ranchi.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 22 Feb, 2024

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