AB de Villiers had his say on the unfortunate dismissal of Sarfaraz Khan in the 3rd India vs England Test.
AB de Villiers reflected on the unfortunate dismissal of Sarfaraz Khan in the 3rd India vs England Test, holding Ravindra Jadeja solely responsible for the run out on Day 1 in Rajkot. Sarfaraz was batting on 62 off 68 balls, when Jadeja, on 99, called for a single but pulled out at the last moment to sell his partner down the river. The gap in communication cut short Sarfaraz’s promising innings but Jadeja’s reaction said it all, more than Rohit Sharma throwing his cap away in anger. The run out left the India all-rounder gutted, so much so that he issued an apology on Instagram.
Sarfaraz Khan walks back after being run out. (ANI)
Sarfaraz’s dismissal was discussed a lot, including de Villiers, who called the spade a spade and did not sugarcoat Jadeja’s involvement in it. Sarfaraz in a press conference later mentioned that these things are part and parcel of the game and revealed the conversation he and Jadeja had before the run out. But while de Villiers had no second thoughts that Jadeja was at fault for Sarfaraz’s run-out, that Jadeja understood the gravity of the situation and went on to complete his century is a reflection of being the senior pro.
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“Sarfaraz getting a 60-odd, getting run out by Jaddu. Jaddu certainly was the guilty party in this instance but you could see the disappointment in his body language when he got his 100 just after that. The way he celebrated after that was very calm; he was upset that he ran the young man out. It was great to see from an experienced campaigner taking responsibility and almost showing remorse on the pitch,” de Villiers said in his YouTube channel.
De Villiers proud of Sarfaraz
Watching Sarfaraz make his India debut was a moment of pride not only for his father and wife who were in attendance, but also for de Villiers, who used to be the youngster’s teammate at Royal Challengers Bangalore. Sarfaraz and de Villiers played four seasons for RCB in 2015, 2016 and 2018, during which the Mumbai youngster scored 228 runs from 25 matches. Cut to last week, Sarfaraz became the fourth Indian to score twin fifties on debut, a feat that took De Villiers on an emotional roller-coaster.
“In his first ever Test for India, it was great to see his family there. I was with him at RCB before. He is a level-headed, down to earth boy and I’m very proud of him. It was great to see his dad blowing a kiss and Sarfaraz blowing it back when he got to his fifty. Very emotional moment and it was heartwarming for me to watch the match live.
