India’s captain Rohit Sharma and teammate Sarfaraz Khan were involved in a humorous incident during a two-day practice match against Prime Minister’s XI at Manuka Oval in Canberra. Sarfaraz, who had replaced Rishabh Pant as the substitute wicketkeeper, made a fumble behind the stumps, failing to collect a straightforward delivery. Rohit, in a lighthearted moment, punched Sarfaraz on the back after the mishap. This happened in the 23rd over when Harshit Rana bowled a short-pitched delivery to Oliver Davies, who had just come in to bat after Jack Clayton’s dismissal. The ball flew past Clayton, but Sarfaraz couldn’t take the catch cleanly. As he bent down to retrieve the ball, Rohit playfully punched him on the back. Both players shared a smile after the incident, reflecting the fun atmosphere in the practice match.Rohit Sharma punches ‘keeper’ Sarfaraz Khan after a fumble by the India star.
Sarfaraz’s fumble didn’t go unnoticed, but the very next ball saw Rana dismiss Davies for a duck with an excellent delivery. Earlier, due to heavy rain on Day 1, the two-day match was reduced to a 50-over contest per side.
Meanwhile, India had recently staged a remarkable comeback in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Despite being bowled out for just 150 in their first innings, India triumphed by 295 runs against Australia in Perth. The victory was especially impressive following a disappointing series loss to New Zealand at home.Rohit Sharma punches ‘keeper’ Sarfaraz Khan after a fumble by the India star.
In another development, Australia’s star pacer Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the upcoming day-night Test in Adelaide due to a low-grade left side strain. Hazlewood will stay with the squad in Adelaide to recover. As per Cricket Australia’s statement, Scott Boland is likely to replace him in the playing XI for the second Test, which is set to begin on December 6. Additionally, Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett, both of whom are yet to make their Test debut, have been added to the Australian squad for the day-night match.
