Sarfaraz, known for amassing large scores, followed his word with a wonderful knock of 222 to lead Mumbai to a whopping 537 all out on the third day of their encounter, even as Musheer recovered from the injury he sustained while going to the city for the game.
Sarfaraz Khan promised his Mumbai teammates and family that he would make a double hundred after his younger brother Musheer was ruled out of the Irani Cup match against Rest of India due to a traffic accident. Sarfaraz, known for amassing large scores, followed his word with a stunning knock of 222 to lead Mumbai to a whopping 537 all out on the third day of their match, even as Musheer recovered from the accident he experienced while driving to the city with his father Naushad Khan.
“Yes, this week has been emotional for me. At the end of the day’s play, Sarfaraz told reporters, “I promised my family and teammates that if I am set, I will score 200 — one hundred for myself and one hundred for my brother (Musheer).”
“If he (Musheer) had participated in the game, his father would have been more proud. Unfortunately, he was involved in an accident. So I assumed I’d score a double ton in this match.” Sarfaraz, 26, stated that he has spoken with his brother, who is seven years younger than the man who is once again knocking on the national selectors’ doors.”Yeah, I talked to him. He is fine, but it will take two to three months to recuperate,” said Sarfaraz, who scored a half-century against England in the March Dharamsala Test.
Sarfaraz became Mumbai’s first Irani Cup double-century scorer.
His 15th first-class century will undoubtedly eliminate any questions about his status as a reserve middle-order hitter for the duration of the Test season (8 games).
When asked about his proclivity for making huge scores, Sarfaraz stated, “I’m known for playing big knocks. I enjoy doing what I’m known for. “Mumbai also needed me to bat long,” he added.”This is a great opportunity for us to win the Irani Cup after a long period. In the back of my mind, I was thinking about playing as long as possible and scoring as many runs as possible to help the team win,” Sarfaraz said.
On the second day, the Ekana Stadium track had underlying wetness, which led to the ball seaming about immediately and making hitters work harder.
Sarfaraz’s off-side drive was magnificent, and his footwork against spinners needs little improvement. He was cruel, particularly against left-arm spinner Manav Suthar (0/137 in 37 overs), who appeared bewildered.He eventually used the negative leg-stump line, and Sarfaraz would slog sweep it for maximums by either bending down on one knee or slightly inside out.
Speaking further about his monumental effort, he said, “I have played in the Irani Cup earlier and scored a century for the Rest of India. But because I’m playing for my hometown team, this is a really emotional time for me. I’m working extra hard to help Mumbai win the Cup.
“It’s evident that the weather presented a challenge. We are up against some of best players in India right now,” he said.”The majority of them are former international cricket players. My goal was to score runs in opposition to them. It was my chance to give it my all. I am satisfied with the time I spent in the middle.
“Everyone involved has worked really hard to win the Ranji Trophy the previous season and advance to the Irani Cup. Not that our squad is incapable of winning this competition. We are among the top teams in India, in actuality. Thus, our goal is to succeed and win.”
