Sarfaraz Khan confident of India’s chances on day five

IND v NZ, 1st Test, Scorecard

Fresh off his maiden Test century, Sarfaraz Khan expressed confidence that the game is far from over. He believes India can still bounce back on Day 5 against New Zealand in the first Test, despite a low target of 107.

“First of all, this is not an easy wicket, and I believe the game is not lost yet,” Sarfaraz said after the game in the press conference.

“The ball is moving nicely, so if we can secure a couple of quick wickets, we could trigger a collapse.”

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The 26-year-old, who scored his maiden Test century in this match, expressed his joy for achieving a lifelong milestone.

"It feels great, and I’m really happy. This is my first century for India, and since childhood, when I started playing cricket, my dream has been to represent India and score a century. To finally achieve that makes me very happy."

When asked about his and Rishabh Pant’s thought process as they looked to cut into the massive lead of New Zealand, Sarfaraz Khan said that the duo had decided on an attacking approach.

“We decided that both of us should take an aggressive approach,” he said.

“Some time ago, we played a Duleep Trophy match here where we had to counterattack in the second innings. We found ourselves in a similar situation, needing to set a target for the opposition. So we talked about applying the same strategy and attacking like we did in that match."

The duo formed a partnership of 177 runs, giving India a lead of 52 runs when Sarfaraz Khan was dismissed for 150 off 195 balls.

“I focused on giving the strike to Rishabh (Pant) when the left-arm spinners were bowling because I know he can easily hit them for sixes. This would allow us to apply pressure from both ends, as I was scoring well off the pacers”

Sarfaraz, who was dismissed for a duck in the first innings alongside four other Indian batters as India slumped to their third-lowest Test total ever, spoke about the importance of staying in the present and not thinking about the future or the past.

“Since I started playing cricket, I’ve focused on one thing: what will happen tomorrow is uncertain, so I try to stay as present as possible. Sometimes, when I’ve thought too much about the future, I end up messing up my performance today. I don’t dwell on what’s going to happen or what has happened in the past; I prefer to stay in the present.”

India now heads into Day 5 of the first Test against New Zealand having to defend 107 to prevent a shock defeat.