Sarfaraz Khan's exceptional 150 runs, and Rishabh Pant's 99 guided India to 438 with the loss of six wickets at the end of session two on Day 4 of the first Test against New Zealand at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
In a highly encapsulating match between two Test cricket giants, the sublime pace bowling display was taken over by the breathtaking display from Rachin and Sarfaraz.
Cricketing icons Yuvraj Singh and David Warner lavished praise on Sarfaraz Khan for his valiant display with the bat which rescued India from a dire situation in the opening Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru.
At the stroke of Lunch, India posted 344/3, with Sarfaraz and Pant unbeaten with scores of 125(154) and 53(56), respectively. With the deficit now reduced to just 12 runs, the match is evenly poised for a climactic finish.
India made strong effort to save the situation in the second innings after their collapse in the first innings in the rain-affected Test match against New Zealand but with two days still left, the odds are heavily loaded against them.
In his spell of 13.2 overs, he took 5/15 with an economy rate of 1.10, the lowest by a Kiwi bowler in a Test fifer. He got crucial wickets of Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav.
Musheer, the younger brother of Mumbai and Indian batting star Sarfaraz Khan, sustained a "fracture in the neck region" after suffering from a road accident on the outskirts of Lucknow in September-end, which caused him to miss out on the Irani Cup match for Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai
After delivering a match-winning performance for Mumbai in the Irani Cup, Sarfaraz Khan dedicated his double hundred to his brother Musheer Khan, who missed out on the tournament due to an accident.
After waiting for 27 years, Mumbai got hold of the prestigious Irani Trophy on Saturday at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.