Sarfaraz Khan has been the mainstay of the Mumbai batting in the ongoing Ranji season. Sarfaraz Khan came into the side when many of the seniors were out on national duty and ever since he hasn’t looked back.
The young cricketer has been in the news since he was just 12 years old. He rose to prominence when he broke the record for the highest score in the Harris Shield Tournament after scoring 439 for Rizvi Springfield in an innings that was comprised of 56 fours and 12 sixes.
Sarfraz Khan was exposed to limelight quite early and has adapted himself accordingly. The young cricketer made his IPL debut at the age of 17 to become the youngest player in the history of the league and his aggressive hitting and batting skills made him a household name.
Sarfaraz Khan was the youngest player when he made his debut in IPL | Photo Source: newz bugz
Like most of the younger players, Sarfraz could not stay away from the age controversy and was suspended for fudging his age by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) before they eventually accepted the result of an advanced test.
The young kid grew on the fame he got at such a tender age, and at some time it affected him and his career. Sarfraz was dismissed from the MCA’s indoor academy camp on disciplinary grounds and the young cricketer was on his way to put everything behind him to earn a place in the Under-19 Mumbai team.
Sarfaraz, who has been coached by his father Naushad, performed exceptionally in his domestic run with the Mumbai side and eventually became an integral part of the Indian U-19 team.
Sarfaraz Khan was quite a popular name amongst the upcoming cricketers and was roped in by Royal Challengers Bangalore at the 2015 auctions.
If that fame wasn’t enough for the youngster, he shot out with a quickfire 45 off just 21 deliveries and became one of the most popular youngsters out there.
However, the player wasn’t able to keep up with his batting capabilities and his leg injury forced him out of the following season. The player was retained before Chris Gayle and KL Rahul in the 2018 season but was released by the RCB management in 2019 after his performance was below par.
The pocket-sized dynamo was a huge hit at some time and the early success in IPL was a huge blow in his career. He was stuck in the middle as he shifted from Mumbai to Uttar Pradesh in 2015 in Ranji Trophy before making a comeback to the Mumbai last year.
Sarfraz became prey to various injuries at the most crucial time of his career and he admitted, “I was a bit depressed. You have played decent cricket, been an IPL player, represented your state and then pause, you are going nowhere.
My father, however, kept hope.” Sarfaraz’s low blow was the time when he worked on him as a beast and returned to the Mumbai Team in Ranji Trophy and registered his name in the big book of legends.
The newest member of the ‘League of Legends’
After his IPL stint, Sarfaraz became an integral member of India U-19 team | Photo Source: KreedOn
The Mumbai batsman is currently enjoying the form of his life in the Ranji Trophy as he has blasted some brilliant runs for the Mumbai Team.
Sarfaraz Khan has become the new name for attack in domestic cricket. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, the player was not out until he got out at 78 yesterday.
He scored a whopping total of 605 runs without losing his wicket in the trophy. The player registered 301* and 226* in his previous two innings and continued his great run against Saurashtra.
Even though Sarfaraz missed his hundred in the match, he scored a total of 605 runs before getting dismissed and made his entry into the ‘League of Legends’.
Sarfaraz has developed himself as an overall batsman and a cricketer and his attitude on the field showcases his understanding of the game.
He became the sixth highest run-getter in domestic cricket for a dismissal. The person who holds this record is KC Ibrahim since 1947/48.
Team Mumbai was in no position to chase a stiff target of 626 when four of their wickets fell at 128. Then came the blow for the team in the form of Sarfaraz Khan who scored an unbeaten 301 off 394 balls.
The right-hander hit the shots in each direction of the ground and this Mad max batting style comes handy to the player. Sarfaraz has never struck his batting to a proper genre and has flown like the liquid in an open container.
Sarfaraz In domestic cricket
Sarfaraz Khan celebrates his triple century | Photo Source: The Hindu
His domestic run came to a halt after his IPL stint in 2015. He went from Mumbai to Uttar Pradesh in 2015 and during his course of play, Sarfaraz suffered a huge blow in the form of a critical leg injury.
His form in IPL wasn’t that great and he was sold by Royal Challengers Bangalore. For a player who had tasted success at such a tender age, the constant failure was quite depressing and underwhelming.
The player returned to Mumbai last year and played for the team in Ranji Trophy to make a comfortable comeback and reminded the world what his capabilities are.
In 15 first-class matches he has played over the years, Sarfaraz has scored 1177 runs in 15 matches at an average of 65.38 with 301* being the highest score.
The young player is focusing more on first-class matches and domestic cricket right now to strengthen his batting prowess and prepare for the toughest of conditions.
Sarfaraz in IPL 2020
Sarfaraz finishes the match with Kedhar Jadhav for RCB
Indian Premier League (IPL) for the past few years, has been the birth ground of some of the finest young talents in national cricket as well as internationally.
One of the few names that shined during the tenure was Sarfaraz Khan and one innings was enough to make this young lad a household name.
He was so brutal with the batting strength that RCB retained him over the beast Chris Gayle and the right-handed maestro KL Rahul.
Sarfaraz has scored 408 runs in 23 innings in the 33 IPL matches he has played so far. At an average of 27.2, Sarfaraz has been a brilliant lower-order batsman but his form in the latter stages of the league was quite disappointing and the player was losing his touch.
With not much action in the bag, he went on to play first-class cricket and will make a fiery comeback to IPL this year. Sarfaraz Khan, or as popularly called ‘pocket-sized dynamo’, has too much to offer and it is a delight to watch the batsman bat and hopefully, he will make a place in the Indian team too.
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