February 14 might have been the Valentine’s Day, as is the case each year, for the entire world. But it was, fact be told, 15th, a day later, which truly became a day of love.
A special day
Profound love; something that poured from all sides for a young and rising cricketer.
Not too long after being handed his maiden India national (team) cap, he rushed to his father, Mr. Naushad Khan, who besides having played for Mumbai, is a professional coach.
The youngster soon after placing his India cap into the hands of his father saw it being embraced as if his own dream had been realised through his son’s. A kiss was placed on the top of the cap. The son had placed him in his father’s grasp as if depositing something beyond precious with great care.
The father and son duo
The duo, soon after, hugged. Understandably, a few emotional but well meaning words were exchanged and there the camera rolled onto the mother standing next to the father-son duo, who very visibly, had an emotional outburst. She hugged her son and with it, the family realised what had really been a dream come true moment.
Reminiscing on the truly unforgettable moment, he expressed that his all his father said was “to work hard” and then “nobody would be able to stop him”.
He further added that “it is important to have faith and believe in the self.”
He said all of this just hours before heading into the Third Test against England at Rajkot with the series level at 1-1.
The start – and what a start it has been
And truth be told, it appears that a certain Sarfaraz Khan wasn’t mincing words.
For had it lacked in either belief or his own effort, he wouldn’t have played the knock which he did immediately upon his Test debut.
Most cricketers in India, whether they grow up playing backyard or on-the-road cricket or cricket as seen in the country’s Maidaans, have three aims, if not more. First, they want to play professional cricket at some stage.
Second, most of them wish to make it to the Indian national cricket team. And third, if they do happen to make it team India, which is a fairytale achievement, the manifestation of the grind of several years together, they wish to play Test match cricket.
The manifestation of a long cherished dream
But life, it finally seems, handed Sarfaraz Khan- a determined and confident lad who loves to bat- his finest cricketing moment on February 15, 2024.
Sarfaraz Khan notched up a fifty on his Test debut. He did so, rather remarkably, off just 48 deliveries.
In the process of brave defending and efficient use of the footwork during which he even waltzed out of his crease, social media platforms like X were rampant with comparisons to how Rishabh Pant uses his feet.
A solid knock upon arrival
He hit boundaries confidently. He didn’t lack any confidence whatsoever in facing two of England’s finest ever pacers, one among them, an all-time legit legend: Jimmy Anderson.
The Indian scoreboard scurried along for as long as Sarfaraz Khan remained at the crease.
And the team built on a great foundation laid by Jadeja and Rohit, even as the captain departed though not before scoring a magnificent hundred amid tricky situations.
For Sarfaraz- it’s never been easy
While the waiting time to make it to the national side from the time of his big Ranji runs may have seemed endless, a bit like akinhow a passenger is desperately stuck at the airport all thanks to a barrage of constantly delayed flights; the end result was something to savour.
Make no mistake- for Sarfaraz has had to wait, really wait for his time out here with ten other men who are handpicked carefully after tremendous thought to represent the famed cricketing side.
In the 2022-23 season of the Ranji Trophy, India’s elite test to measure true depth of a talent contesting for further national reckoning, Sarfaraz Khan made 556 runs. He took just 9 innings to do so. But a call to make it further to the team never arrived.
Not too long ago, he made 439 runs in a Haris Shield match. And yet, the selectors didn’t quite take note or so it seemed. The call to represent the Indian cricket team never came.
The need to continually build scores
Quite frankly, it wasn’t the first time that the youngster from Mumbai had courted disappointment. In the 2021-22 season of the revered Ranji trophy, Sarfaraz Khan blasted 982 runs.
982, let it not be forgotten. And yet, he wasn’t given much of an attention to.
One wonders, what may have been his feeling on having been overlooked when several around his age were already wearing their India jerseys and being talked about as the pantheon of talented youngsters- think Pant, Gill, Prithvi, Bishnoi- who’d go on to script the next bright chapters of Indian cricket? Yet, the key lesson- and something to note- about Sarfaraz Khan’s story is how he never let his disappointments claim him or his passion to persevere.
At the end of the day, these may have been 62 runs off 11 overs spent at the crease. But these bravely, dutifully stroked runs are a result of having stayed honest and unbent in his desire of representing Team India. And of having not given up!
May Sarfaraz continue to score and realise that all of this, this big leap in having the honour of wearing the Indian jersey is but a beginning, possibly a new career trajectory that’ll require him to undertake newer, perhaps even more onerous challenges than he’s already faced.
And he must do well to know this too, is a start at having come so far. But there are miles to go.
Keep batting, Sarfaraz Khan. You’ve only just arrived, and done so honourably well.