"You cannot have just one policy to play on spinning tracks" - Saba Karim on Sarfaraz Khan's dismissal in IND vs NZ 2024 3rd Test

Saba Karim has attributed Sarfaraz Khan's dismissal in India's second innings of the third Test against New Zealand in Mumbai to his overreliance on the sweep shot. The former India wicketkeeper-batter noted that the Mumbai cricketer needed to add more shots to his repertoire and trust his defense.

Sarfaraz managed just a solitary run before sweeping an Ajaz Patel full toss straight down Rachin Ravindra's throat. India eventually lost the match by 25 runs on Sunday, November 3, and with it the series 0-3.

During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, Saba was asked whether Sarfaraz's eagerness to get off to a quick start led to his dismissal.

"Sarfaraz's batting approach in the initial period has always been like this, whether in domestic cricket or here. He wants to score quick runs as soon as he goes in, and this is his favorite shot. He plays sweep shots against spinners even on docile wickets," he responded.

"In the end, you cannot have just one policy to play on spinning tracks. You need to have a variety of shots, especially square of the wicket, where you can get runs. Along with that, the biggest thing is that your defense needs to be extremely solid. You need to trust your defense. Rishabh Pant did that. He is backing his defense and then only he is getting loose balls," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

Sarfaraz's dismissal reduced India to 29/5. Although Rishabh Pant (64 off 57) played a fighting knock, he couldn't take the hosts over the line.

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"He had made up his mind beforehand" - Saba Karim on Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz Khan predominantly scores his runs square of the wicket. [P/C: BCCI]

In the same discussion, Saba Karim pointed out that a premeditated sweep shot led to Sarfaraz Khan's downfall.

"Here, I felt, he had made up his mind beforehand. Before this as well, the Glenn Phillips over he played, he opened his account with a sweep shot. Once you have made up your mind, it's very difficult to bail out from that position, and that's what happened with Sarfaraz," he said.

The former India selector added that the right-handed batter would have been better off playing the full toss with a straight bat.

"It was a full toss, you could have easily played it with a straight bat. However, you had made up your mind beforehand that you would sweep every ball. The sweep is a very productive shot on this wicket but for that, you need to pick the right length. I feel Sarfaraz made a mistake there only," Saba observed.

Sarfaraz Khan was preferred over KL Rahul for the final two Tests against New Zealand after playing a 150-run knock in India's second innings of the first Test in Bengaluru. It remains to be seen if he retains his place in the playing XI for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, considering he has scored only 21 runs in his last four innings.