Sarfaraz Khan immediately shows the benefit of 10 kg weight loss, flies to his left and plucks one-handed stunner: Watch
India A were in search of a moment of magic as England Lions opener Tom Haines piled on the runs against them at the Spitfire Ground in Canterbury, and a moment of magic is what they got, as Sarfaraz Khan took a spectacular diving catch at slip to help dismiss the batter on 171.
With Shardul Thakur bowling and wicketless thus far in the innings, Haines attempted to drive a fuller one through the off-side. His bat caught a thick edge, and with Sarfaraz the only fielder in a one-man slip cordon, the batter sprung with lightning-quick reflexes to his left. Sticking out his left hand, Sarfaraz took the incredibly tough chance, and gave India a window back into the game after England Lions had dominated the proceedings to that point in the innings.
Haines' wicket ended the 93-run partnership he had put on with Dan Mousley for the sixth wicket, which had continued to frustrate India A after a couple of quick wickets in succession earlier in the day.
It must be mentioned that over the course of the last few months, Sarfaraz Khan has been working on his fitness. Before being picked for India, the Mumbai batter shed 10kgs in less than two months.
Sarfaraz continued to make a case for his inclusion in the Test team after missing out on the squad: after pictures had been revealed of the 27-year-old batter looking fitter and trimmer after work put in during the off-season, he showed the fruits of his labour with this catch.
A wicketkeeper by trade but criticised in the past for being slightly lethargic and sloppy in the field, all the technique and confidence of that extra spring in his step was on show in a special catch. It was a moment to celebrate for his India A teammates, as he was thronged by several of them to commend him for his role in the dismissal.
Earlier in the match, Sarfaraz had fallen narrowly short of a century of his own, scoring 92 in the first innings and impressing with the bat, and providing very able support to Karun Nair as he reached his double century.
England Lions ended day three of the warm-up contest only 30 runs behind India's total and with three wickets in the tank, Mousley scoring a century of his own but being dismissed on the last ball of the day by Nair. It was a better day for Mukesh Kumar, who bounced back to take three of India A's five wickets on day three.
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