“Thodi thodi aati hain” - Shoaib Bashir responds after Sarfaraz Khan sledges him in Hindi 

England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir and Indian batter Sarfaraz Khan were involved in a light-hearted banter on Day 2 of the fourth India vs England Test in Ranchi on Saturday, February 24. Sarfaraz tried to sledge the England tailender by commenting that he does not know Hindi, only for Bashir to come up with a reply that went viral.

England gained the upper hand in Ranchi after Day 2 courtesy of a solid bowling performance. Resuming their first innings on 302/7, they were bowled out for 353. Bashir then starred with 4/84, while left-arm spinner Tom Hartley claimed 2/47 as England reduced India to 219/7 by stumps.

Before his exploits with the bat, Bashir was dismissed for 0, attempting to slog Ravindra Jadeja. However, he provided some entertainment during his brief stay as well. His fun conversation with Sarfaraz in Hindi, while taking guard during the 103rd over of England’s innings, was captured on the stump mic and went viral on social media. This is how the interaction went.

Sarfaraz Khan - Isko Hindi bhi nahi aati hai badhiya chalo (He doesn't understand Hindi).

Shoaib Bashir - Thodi thodi aati hain Hindi (I know a bit of Hindi).

Bashir’s stay in the middle lasted just two balls as he gave a simple catch to backward point while trying to go after Jadeja. However, he was excellent with the ball in hand, claiming the wickets of Shubman Gill (38), Rajat Patidar (17), Jadeja (12) and the in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal (73).

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“There’s clearly a huge amount of skill in what he does” - Root hails Bashir

Senior England batter Joe Root praised Bashir for his brilliant bowling effort on Day 2 of the Ranchi Test against India. According to Root, with his performance on Saturday, the 20-year-old proved that he has a huge amount of skill with the ball in hand.

“The way he bowls is a great little insight into his character and personality, he is quite cheeky and great fun to be around. There’s clearly a huge amount of skill in what he does, as he proved with the way he bowled for not just small spells but a long period of time,” Root said after the end of Day 2.

“To be able to continually put pressure on some very good players of spin, I know the wicket was helpful at times, but he did an amazing job and it’s a great sign for English cricket moving forward. You do have to work in partnerships and Tommy (Hartley) was excellent alongside him, too,” he added.

Bashir bowled a total of 32 overs on Day 2 of the Test match and kept the pressure on India’s batters by striking at regular intervals.