MUMBAI: It’s been a long wait for Sarfaraz Khan in his bid to make an international comeback, but the desire to succeed remains undiminished. Even without top flight cricket, the middle-order batter has a lot to look forward to this season. And, he is just making the most of the opportunities.
In the role of batting mainstay, he has the task of playing the lead role for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy knockout round which starts in two weeks time. Post that he has to prepare for the Indian Premier League for which he is super excited to don the Chennai Super Kings yellow jersey.
“My dream was to play with the legends of this generation. I played with Virat bhai (Kohli) at RCB. I never thought I’d get a chance to play with Rohit bhai (Sharma), but I did in the Test team. I never thought I’d play with Mahi bhai (M S Dhoni), especially after he retired from international cricket. But after going unsold for the last two years, CSK picked me in the IPL, I consider myself very lucky,” said Sarfaraz on the eve of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy match against Delhi.
In red ball cricket, he has already made his mark in the limited chances that he got in international cricket. But the Mumbai batter has remained on the fringes, receiving little clarity from selectors about his absence since the last Australia tour.
In six Tests, he has a hundred and three half-centuries. A prolific run-getter in domestic cricket (First-class average of 65.25), the start of the current Ranji season was not as per expectations but he has come roaring back with a majestic 227 last week against Hyderabad.
For him, it’s about maintaining equilibrium, taking the highs with the lows.
“I try to stay in the now. I don’t think about the future or the past. I go home, I practice, I bat, and I keep improving,” he said.
To his frustration, Sarfaraz was not even picked in Mumbai’s playing XI at the start of the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He didn’t panic and took it in his stride. When he got the chance he made it count with some blazing knocks including a hundred (100 not out off just 47 balls against Assam), amassing 329 runs in just seven SMAT matches at a strike-rate of 203.
“Hard work never goes to waste,” Sarfaraz said. “God gives you things at the right time and the right place. When I didn’t get chances earlier, I kept fighting for myself.”
More success followed in white ball cricket with some spectacular innings in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy where he smashed 157 against Goa. With new found confidence to score at a high strike rate, he has turned his attention to sharpening his white-ball skills with the ambition of India earning India colours. Sarfaraz views his CSK stint as a crucial platform to push his case.
“I’m working hard on my white-ball game. I want to play for India in white-ball cricket and I’m paying attention to that,” said Sarfaraz. “I am just focusing on free batting, power-hitting and enjoying T20 cricket.”
Badoni, Arya picked in India A team
Languishing on nine points after six matches, Delhi’s hopes of finishing a lacklustre Ranji season on a good note took a hit when two of their main batters, Ayush Badoni and Priyansh Arya, were selected for the India A team to play the T20 World Cup warm-up matches against USA and Namibia. Ayush Doseja, who is having a good run with the bat, will captain the side in Badoni’s absence.
