On day four of the first Test between India and New Zealand at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, Sarfaraz Khan smashed his maiden Test century, etching his name in history. With this feat, Sarfaraz became the 22nd Indian batter and the 183rd overall in Test cricket to record both a duck and a hundred in the same match.
The last Indian batter to achieve this unique distinction was Shubman Gill who managed it against Bangladesh in Chennai last month. Another Indian to accomplish this rare double was Shikhar Dhawan, who registered a duck and a century (0 and 115) against New Zealand at Auckland’s Eden Park in 2014.
Sarfaraz, however, added another special milestone to his name. He became just the third Indian batter to score both a duck and a 150-plus score in the same Test. His magnificent 150, following a duck in the first innings, placed him among an elite group.
Duck and 150-plus score in the same Test for India:
0 & 163* – Madhav Apte vs West Indies, Port of Spain, 1953
152 & 0 – Nayan Mongia vs Australia, Delhi, 1996
0 & 150 – Sarfaraz Khan vs New Zealand, Bengaluru, 2024
As far as the match is concerned, the Indian cricket team got all out at the score of 462 runs in the second innings and the visitors need to score 107 runs to win the match. Tomorrow is the last day of the match and saving this match seems to be an uphill task for the Indian team.
Sarfaraz’s stellar innings further cements his rising stature in Indian cricket and his performance will be remembered as a pivotal moment in his international career.
