'Feeling bad' - Ravindra Jadeja apologises after Sarfaraz Khan's remarkable Test debut ended abruptly due to his horrible call

After a long wait, Sarfaraz Khan earned his maiden Test cap during India's third Test against England in Rajkot. With his father and wife in the stands at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium as witnesses, the young man belying the fact that he was on debut played a stunning knock. A dream debut saw him score a half-century off just 48 balls, but it came to an abrupt end with an unfortunate dismissal. 

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Sarfaraz came to the crease after the dismissal of captain Rohit Sharma, who along with Ravindra Jadeja had pulled India out of danger on Day 1. The rookie and veteran all-rounder continued to dominate, with the former taking a more aggressive approach. The duo put on a 77-run partnership for the fifth wicket before Sarfaraz was run out in a terrible mix-up between them. 

Jadeja was batting on 99 in the 82nd over and Sarfaraz cost his wicket by his over-enthusiasm to help his teammate to score a century. The southpaw drove the ball towards mid-on and he took two steps down, thinking it would clear the fielder. But it didn't, and the single was quickly rejected. Sarfaraz could not get back to the crease in time before Wood's throw directly hit the stumps at the non-striker's end.

The 26-year-old looked solid in his maiden innings and even had a chance to make it more memorable with a century. Unfortunately, he had to return to the pavilion with a dejected face after scoring 62 runs off 66 balls (9 fours and 1 six). The Rajkot crowd fell silent while Jadeja and the Indian team looked on in utter despair. Captain Rohit was seen frustrated as he threw his cap off in the dressing room. 

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Jadeja, who notched up his fourth Test hundred, was slammed by fans on social media. The 35-year-old apologised on his Instagram handle after the first day's play, saying his "wrong call" had led to the debutant's wicket. "Feeling bad for Sarfaraz Khan. It was my wrong call. Well played," the star cricketer wrote in his Instagram story. 

Ravindra Jadeja apologising to Sarfaraz Khan. pic.twitter.com/9QlW5CuWin

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 15, 2024

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Sarfaraz opens up about his dismissal 

Sarfaraz, en route to his 62 runs, became the joint-fastest Indian player to complete his fifty on debut. Hardik Pandya had also scored a 48-ball fifty on his Test debut. Speaking after the first day's action, the Mumbai cricketer opened up about the run-out, saying it was due to some miscommunication, and thanked Jajeda for guiding him throughout the innings. 

"Jadeja was guiding me through the innings. He told me to spend some time in the crease and said that the runs would follow. He came to me and said that a little bit of miscommunication happened'. I was okay with it," Sarfaraz revealed. 

"I spoke to Jadeja at lunch time and requested him to talk to me while playing. I like talking while playing. It was my first time. I told him that when I go out to bat, keep talking to me while playing. He kept talking and supported me a lot while I was batting," he added.