The whole country raved when he played a scoop shot with the AB de Villiers swag in the Indian Premier League few years ago. But Sarfaraz Khan the batsman has never taken off despite promising immensely in his first few seasons in the IPL. That he was retained by Kings XI Punjab as one of three players in the 2018 auctions seemed to be anomaly, a common error from a franchise prone to make many.
But Sarfaraz proved them right. Two years hence, he is proving all who wrote him off wrong by stamping down his credentials in the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai. After a triple hundred in the high-scoring game against Uttar Pradesh at the Wankhede stadium last week, Sarfaraz is on an unbeaten 226 off just 213 balls against Himachal Pradesh at stumps on day two.
Having had only one first-class hundred since his debut, Sarfaraz now has a triple and a double (which could potentially turn into a triple) in back-to-back matches for Mumbai.
Sarfaraz’s story is an interesting one. Coached by his own father, Naushad, Sarfaraz moved from Mumbai to Uttar Pradesh at his father’s insistence for better opportunities in the Ranji Trophy. The move backfired as his fitness and form meant that he was often sidelined at UP. Across three seasons, Sarfaraz played just eight matches and the move was clearly not working.
He returned to Mumbai but had to wait for a mandatory one-year cool-off period before playing. He returned to the fold and stamped his name down in the XI with a rollicking triple century against the same state.
“The decision (to move to UP) was dad’s. I remember when I was leaving for UP, I was packing and keeping my Mumbai kit aside, there were tears in my eyes as I loved Mumbai so much. The decision was dad’s. I did not think I would ever be able to play for Mumbai again,” he said after the knock.
“Then to come back… sometimes I cannot believe it, it feels as if I am sleeping. It is a very proud moment for me. I was born here, I have played all my cricket here, so I like this (city).”
Trained by his dad, Sarfaraz has a swinging practice wicket at home to hone his first-class game. Seen as a white ball player, these two innings has put Sarfaraz into the top fold of Mumbai’s elite batting line-up. If anything, his charged up batting is a boost to the middle-order as his 199-ball double hundred against Himachal showed. Can he carry on and get a triple from here?