On the third day of the fourth Test match between India and England in Ranchi, captain Rohit Sharma chastised his young colleague Sarfaraz Khan for failing to wear his helmet prior to fielding at silly point. When Shoaib Bashir prepared to take on Ravichandran Ashwin in the penultimate hour of action of the session, Rohit urged Sarfaraz to stand near to the batter.
However, Sarfaraz did not wear a helmet and simply stood in the fielding position. At that moment, Rohit stepped in and instructed him to put on the safety headgear before assuming his position. Rohit Sharma advised the youngster to not try and become a hero. He said (as caught on stump mic), “Aye bhai, hero nai banne ka (hey, don’t be a hero here).”
Soon after this, India was able to dismiss England in their second innings. During the final few moments of the day, the hosts came out to bat. India have been set a goal of 192 to win the match and establish an invincible 3-1 lead in the 5-Test series after the visitors were bowled out for 145 in their second innings.
In the third innings of the game, Ravichandran Ashwin claimed his 35th five-wicket haul whereas Kuldeep Yadav claimed four wickets for the home team. After batting for eight overs, Rohit and teammate opener Yashasvi Jaiswal batted on 24 and 16, respectively, to help India respond with 40 for no loss.
Rohit Sharma to Sarfaraz Khan for not wearing helmet:
"Aye, hero nai banne ka (hey, don't be a hero here)". ??pic.twitter.com/f49Mb60cmi
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 25, 2024
“I put my hand up” : Ravichandran Ashwin to Rohit Sharma during Team India huddle
Ravichandran Ashwin spoke to the media broadcaster as he discussed on sharing the new ball during the third innings of the fourth Test against England.
The Team India off-spinner said, “You know me very well Ravi Bhai. Rohit said in the huddle – both of you are starting, who wants to start. I put my hand up and said I will start from this side. Glad (it paid off). I have got some sort of an attachment with the new ball and I enjoyed bowling a little bit more speed. Loved it once again.
