“This hundred is because of my abbu (father), his sacrifices and holding my hand while I could have gone down,” Sarfaraz Khan choked with tears in front of writers as he dedicated his best century to father and son. coach Nashad Khan. Those who follow Mumbai cricket know how hard Naushad is on his sons Sarfaraz and Mushir (also on the Mumbai squad), who have no life outside of cricket. So is the dream that India conjures up now on the map? His eyes were filled when answering the question after his century took Mumbai to 374 against Madhya Pradesh in the final of the Ranji Trophy here.
“Our lives are all about those little dreams that we cherish. The dreams that we (he and his father) have dreamed together. The nearly 2000 runs I have scored in two seasons since my comeback in Mumbai is thanks to my ‘abbu’,” he said.
When there are no competitions, the brothers train well for six to seven hours a day under the supervision of their father.
He has had disciplinary issues, was not the establishment’s favorite child and had to migrate to UP for a season before returning and going through a cooling off period before being picked back to Mumbai.
“Aap sab toh jaante ho mere saath kya kya huwa. Abbu na rahte toh main khatm ho jataa (You all know what I’ve been through and if it wasn’t for my father I would have been done by now).” “There has been so much struggle and thinking about how my father has handled it all makes me emotional. He never let go of my hand. My brother put a status on his cell phone and I could see Abbu so happy. made my day,” he could finally smile.
A fan of Sidhu Moosewala
When asked if his thigh bang celebration was an imitation of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was recently gunned down by a gang, he said that was the idea.
“This was for Sidhu Moosewala. I like his songs and especially me and Hardik Tamore (goalkeeper) listen to his songs. I also had a similar party during a previous match (in remembrance), but then Hotstar didn’t. I had decided if I scored another hundred, I would repeat the party,” said the burly Mumbaikar.
Planning and pat on the back from selector
Sarfaraz is approaching 1,000 first-class runs for the season (currently 937) with a Bradmanesque average of 81.
“This is my best ever knockout in the Ranji Trophy as this is the final and it came when the team was in a tricky situation. We lost wickets on a regular basis.
“My goal was that no matter what happens, I don’t throw away my wicket, even if that means I have to play 300 balls. The more balls I play, the bigger my strokes will be,” said Sarfaraz, who scored 134 in 243 balls on the day.
Hundred in a Ranji final is special because it reminded him of carrying heavy bags in the local Mumbai area with father Naushad in tow, as well as the many hours of grind that went into it for years.
“When I was a little boy, the dream was to wear the Mumbai jersey and score a hundred. When I realized that dream, I wanted to score a hundred in a Ranji Trophy final when the team is in a precarious position. That is the reason I was overwhelmed with emotion after 100,” Sarfaraz said.
Sarfaraz said that once Shams Mulani was out in the first over, he had to change his game plan.
“Once Shams was out I felt there could be a collapse around the corner as the MP seamen got quite a bit of movement off the lane. They were bowling good cutters but then I had a few partnerships that made me feel closer to the track. a hundred,” he stated.
While he did not reveal what national selector Sunil Joshi would have told him about his senior squad selection in the future, he did say he was praised for beating MP’s tactics.
“It was good to talk to Sunil Joshi sir. He understood that Chandu sir (Chandrakant Pandit) had asked his bowlers to block my sweep shot and he said it was good that I could turn the strike even if my pet-shot had stopped.” Aside from his elation, Sarfaraz had a warning to his bowlers as he felt a bit more discipline would be needed on the third morning to keep MP tight after they hit 123 for one in response to Mumbai’s 374.
“We need to be a little more disciplined tomorrow, but I can tell you that the game is far from over. And don’t forget that they will have to bat last on this track.
promoted
“At least we are confident that we will get the lead in the first inning, but if we somehow miss the lead from the first inning, we will get them in the fourth inning,” Sarfaraz said. .
(This story was not edited by DailyExpertNews staff and was generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
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