[Watch] “Ae bhai, hero nahi banne ka” - Rohit Sharma instructs Sarfaraz Khan to wear helmet, X users hail his thoughtful gesture 

In his inimitable style, Team India captain Rohit Sharma instructed Sarfaraz Khan to wear a helmet after the latter was prepared to field at silly point without wearing the safety equipment. On spotting this, Rohit straightaway asked him to put on a helmet and not try to be a hero.

The above incident occurred on Day 3 of the India vs England Test in Ranchi on Sunday, February 25. The hosts resumed their first innings on 219/7 and pushed their total to 307, responding to England’s 353. India’s spinners then ran through the visitors’ batting to bundle them out for 145. Set to chase 192, India went to stumps at 40/0 after eight overs.

During England’s second innings, Rohit went for an aggressive field and asked Sarfaraz to field at silly point. However, he began taking his position without a helmet, something which the Indian captain did not approve of. Rohit was heard telling the Mumbai batter:

“Ae bhai, hero nahi banne ka.” (Hey, don't try to be a hero.)

Sarfaraz followed Rohit’s instructions and took his close-in fielding position with his helmet on. While the Indian captain used typical Mumbai slang to put across his message, his gesture was a considerate one, promoting safety first.

There have been a few instances of cricketers losing their lives while fielding close-in, without wearing a helmet, after being struck by the ball. It may be recalled that former India batter Raman Lamba died after being hit on the head while fielding at forward short leg during a match in Bangladesh in 1998.

A number of X users praised Rohit for his thoughtful gesture towards Sarfaraz. Here are some reactions.

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Incidentally, ahead of Sarfaraz’s Test debut in Rajkot, the Mumbai cricketer’s father had requested Rohit to take care of his son, to which the Indian captain replied that he definitely will. A video of their interaction went viral on social media.

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Sarfaraz Khan took a good diving catch to dismiss Tom Hartley on Day 3

While the right-handed batter was dismissed for 14 off 53 in India’s first innings, he contributed in the field on Day 3 by taking a good catch to dismiss Tom Hartley for seven in England’s second innings.

The left-handed batter tried to take on left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, but failed to get his timing right. Sarfaraz, who was fielding at deep mid-on, dived forward to complete a sharp catch. He then turned around and blew a kiss to the crowd in typical Virat Kohli style.