3 reasons why Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan would be the perfect test partnership for India
It was like a breath of fresh air in the first innings of the 3rd Test against England in Rajkot when Sarfaraz Khan came out to bat and started playing positive cricket against England's spinners.
With English spinners being the dominant of the two teams' bowling returns so far, Sarfaraz's calculated onslaught was one of the reasons why India found themselves in a comfortable position.
Also, Sarfaraz Khan's batting style reminds everyone of Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and his pyrotechnics in the middle order.
His 66 balls-62 runs innings cut short by a misjudgement in running between the wickets between him and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja proved one thing for sure: the hype for his grind on the domestic circuit was real.
So without further ado, let's look at some reasons why the partnership between Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant in Test matches in the future might be one of the most mouthwatering ones.
3 reasons why Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan would be the perfect test partnership for India
#3. Left-Right Combination
For a bowler, it's very difficult to bowl constantly to a left-right combination in any format.
Not only does he have to adjust his line and lengths throughout the over or spell, but it also affects his ability to bowl constantly in a channel to induce a false shot from the batsmen.
If, or rather, when, Pant and Sarfaraz bat together for India, especially in Test matches, bowlers would find it difficult to bowl to this pair.
#2. Same-batting methodology
When we talk about Rishabh Pant's batting in Tests, contrary to common misconception, he just does not go and throw at the kitchen sink at every ball he faces. According to Pant himself, he looks to put the pressure back on the bowlers by smashing their good deliveries to disturb their line and not bowl them at that particular length further.
So, it's basically calculated aggression that yields him so much success against all bowling types, be it spinners (averages 54.9 with SR 87.5) or pacers (averages 40.04 with SR 63.5).
Speaking of Sarfaraz Khan, he can also irritate the opponent by playing shots in unusual areas with his astute spin play. He also looks to dominate the bowlers, especially against spin; similar to Virender Sehwag, who loved playing spin.
#3. Both technically astound
The batting methodology may be similar or different, but Test batting demands perfection in your technique for all conditions.
Rishabh Pant has already proven how valuable he is for the team in different countries against all bowling attacks, thanks to his sound base and skillset.
Sarfaraz Khan has been unscathed not only against spin but also against seam and swing. He looks comfortable in the first look, with him not committing too early into his stance, which includes him playing close to his body with small strides and allowing himself to play late to cover the movement.
Although he might be having issues with short balls, with time he will most likely work on this weakness for sure.