Sarfaraz dedicates his double hundred to his brother Musheer Khan
Run machine Sarfaraz Khan had made a promise to his Mumbai teammates and his family after his younger brother Musheer was ruled out of the Irani Cup match against Rest of India following a road accident: score a double hundred.
Known for scoring big scores, Sarfaraz was true to his word with a magnificent knock of 222 to guide Mumbai to a mammoth 537 on the third day of their match even as Musheer was recovering from the accident he suffered while going to traveled the city for the match. game along with his father Naushad Khan.
“Yes, it was an emotional week for me. I had promised my family and teammates that when I am done, I will score 200 hundreds for me and a hundred for my brother (Musheer),” Sarfaraz told at the end of the match reporters. day of play.
“If he (Musheer) had played in the match, abbu (father) would have been more proud. Unfortunately, he met with an accident. So I thought I have to score a double ton somehow in this match.”
Sarfaraz, 26, said he and his brother, who is seven years younger, have spoken to the man who is returning to the national selectors.
“Yes, I have spoken to him. He is fine but it will take two to three months to recover,” said Sarfaraz, who hit a half-century against England in the Dharamsala Test in March.
Sarfaraz became the first player to score an Irani Cup double hundred for Mumbai.
His 15th first-class century will certainly dispel any doubts about his place as the reserve middle-order batsman for the rest of the Test season (8 matches).
Asked about his penchant for scoring big scores, Sarfaraz said, “I am known to play big shots. I feel good when I do the things I am known for. Mumbai also needed me to bat for long,” he said.
“It’s a big opportunity for us to win the Irani Cup after a long time. Afterward, I thought about playing as long as possible and putting as many runs on the board as possible, which will help the team win,” Sarfaraz added . .
The Ekana Stadium track had underlying moisture on the second day and the moisture contributed to the ball initially bouncing around and the extra bounce made it challenging for hitters.
Sarfaraz’s offside was regal and there is nothing more to add to his footwork against spinners. He was brutal, especially against left-arm spinner Manav Suthar (0/137 in 37 overs), who had no idea.
After a point he used the negative leg punch line and Sarfaraz either went in a little or bent down on one knee to sweep it for as long as possible.
Speaking further about his monumental achievement, he said, “I have played in the Irani Cup before and scored a century for the rest of India. But this is a very emotional innings for me because I am playing for my home team. I am making an extra effort so that Mumbai can lift the cup.
“If you look at it, it was clearly a challenge again. We are playing against some of the best players in India at the moment,” he said.
“Most of them have played international cricket. I wanted to score against them. It was an opportunity to give my best. I am happy with the time I spent in the middle.
“The entire team put in a lot of effort to reach the Irani Cup by winning the Ranji Trophy last season. It’s not that our team can’t win this tournament. In fact, we are one of the best teams in India. So , we hope to do well and win it.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
First publication: Oct 04, 2024 | 11:53 PM IST