At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Sarfaraz Khan, an Indian batter, achieved his first international century during the current first Test match between India and New Zealand on Saturday.

Sarfaraz was batting on 125 off 154 balls on the fourth day of the first Test when heavy rain prompted an early lunch. With a strong strike rate of 81.16, the right-handed hitter was hitting 16 fours and three sixes in his knock.

With 13 fours and three sixes, the 26-year-old middle-order batsman reached his maiden Test century in 110 balls.

In his eighth Test innings for India, Sarfaraz scored his first-ever century in a Test match. Earlier this year in Rajkot, he made his debut against England. The undefeated 68 he scored in his first Test match was his previous best. In the first innings of that particular Test, he scored 62.

Sarfaraz did not make the Indian squad for the just finished Test series against Bangladesh, although he did play all three of the Test matches against England.

Sarfaraz was given the chance to enter the playing XI against New Zealand when Shubman Gill was left out due to a stiff neck.

Sarfaraz was among the five hitters who were out for the count in the first innings of the current Test match in Bengaluru. Only a pitiful 46 could be mustered by India in their first innings.

Sarfaraz and the other Indian hitters, nevertheless, performed better in the second inning.

After losing three wickets, India was just 12 runs behind New Zealand at the end of the fourth day’s play.

Sarfaraz became the 22nd Indian hitter to register a century and a duck in the same Test match as he was batting for his century.

When rain delayed play, he and Virat Kohli accumulated 136 in 163 balls for the third wicket, then Sarfaraz and Rishabh Pant added an uninterrupted 113 runs for the fourth wicket.

Sarfaraz is coming off a double century against the Rest of India earlier this month in the Irani Cup for Mumbai. He laid the groundwork for Mumbai’s victory in the first inning with an unbeaten 222.