Sarfaraz Khan dedicates ton to his father
Highlights
- Sarfaraz currently averages 82.83
- Sarfaraz has scored his fourth Ranji Trophy ton of the season
- Sarfaraz hit 13 fours and 2 sixes in his blistering knock of 134
This Ranji season, Mumbai batsman Sarfaraz Khan has been nothing short of a revelation. He has been batting like he is on auto-pilot mode. A huge part of Mumbai's success in the ongoing Ranji season goes to Sarfaraz Khan and the blistering knocks that he has played in this Ranji season. In 25 matches and with 35 first-class Innings, Khan has an average of 82.83 with 8 tons and 7 fifties to his account.
In the history of international first-class cricket, surprisingly, it is only Sir Don Bradman who is ahead of Sarfaraz with an average of 95.14 which includes 117 tons and 69 fifties. He scored a blistering 134 runs in the first innings which helped his team stamp their authority on the final but he feels that the game is poised evenly and both the teams will need to toil hard if they are to win the fabled prize, the Ranji Trophy. Sarfaraz opened up on his purple patch and dedicated all his success to his father.
The Mumbai batsman said "This hundred is because of my abbu (father), his sacrifices, he held my hand when I could have been down and out, a teary-eyed Sarfaraz Khan choked in front of scribes while dedicating his best century to his father and coach Naushad Khan. In our lives, it's about all those little dreams that we harbor. The dreams that we (he and his dad) have dreamt together. The nearly 2000 runs that I have scored in two seasons since my Mumbai comeback is because of my abbu. There has been so much struggle and when I think about how my dad dealt with all of it, I get emotional. He didn't leave my hand even once. My brother put up a status on his cell phone and I could see Abbu so happy. It made my day," he could finally manage a smile".
Followers of Mumbai cricket know that Naushad Khan is extremely tough on his children Sarfaraz and Mushir who don't have a life beyond cricket. When there aren't any matches, the brothers train for good six to seven hours per day under their father's supervision. Sarfaraz is nearing 1000 first-class runs for the season (937 currently) at a Bradmanesque average of 81.
(Inputs from PTI)
