A loose cannon's quest for peace - Sarfaraz Khan leaves an indelible mark with his rampant redemption
Sarfaraz Khan is a tough nut to crack for enthusiasts and traditionalists, and luckily for him, even the bowlers. Playing with fingers pointed at his fitness and with call-ups so near yet so far away, it was not an easy journey, and frustration was constantly bubbling.
They say that piling on runs in the domestic circuit leads to an inevitable call-up, the traditional route as they call it, but normalcy is in the rearview mirror now. Intense competition means the assurance of 'inevitable' is lost, with patience being the sole alternative.
It is hard to be patient when your emotions are right on the surface. It does not take much to trigger, whether it is something remotely positive or negative. So when he scored his maiden hundred after all that had happened, it was a surprise that Sarfaraz Khan did not explode in the middle of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium (although he came pretty close to it) against New Zealand during the first Test.
His roar might have scared the dozing birds in Cubbon Park on a nice cloudy morning, but Sarfaraz would have been aware of it only had he been present in the moment. He was transported to an entirely different dimension, even if it was just for a quick second, to cherish the moment.
Sarfaraz Khan faced the perils of peaking early
History has taught us that if you are talked about in the Mumbai cricketing circuit at a young age, you are destined to make it big. Sarfaraz Khan was no different. Hailing from a cricketing background, he piled on runs in age-group cricket and had the rare opportunity of playing the U-19 World Cup twice.
It did not take long for him to become a household name in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Rubbing shoulders alongside the likes of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the youngster made a mark of his own by being a reliable finisher with unorthodox shots, which even the then-skipper Kohli had to literally bow down to. RCB even retained him along with Kohli and de Villiers ahead of the mega auction at one point.
Sarfaraz Khan has also been on the wrong side of things, garnering a reputation outside of his playing abilities too, as a result. He was suspended by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on the grounds of age-fudging.
He was accused of celebrating a domestic ton aimed at the selectors after not being named in the national side. A similar incident in 2015 had led to his suspension when he was still playing at the U-19 level. There have also been claims that his off-field demeanor has not been satisfactory while concerns over his fitness are quite well documented.
Sarfaraz's red-ball DNA is a unique blend of conventional and unconventional
Sarfaraz Khan's wagon wheel is one to be studied. Nearly all of his runs have come behind square, and he has taken a particular liking for the third man region. Now, this is not usual in the subcontinent. Strokes in the V region, cover drives, and flicks are generally considered the most productive strokes amid low bounce.
Glimpses of this innings are more than enough for any Indian fan to imagine Sarfaraz cutting the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins over point on a bouncy Perth surface in a month's time. Only time will tell whether that will transpire or not, but if India felt they were lucky enough to have one X factor in Rishabh Pant, they have the opportunity to field two X factors at the same time, with Sarfaraz Khan made from a similar mold.
For so long, being unconventional was a sin in red-ball cricket. Now, it is not frowned upon that much, given how the game has evolved. So strangely, what made Sarfaraz Khan different was used against him in the past, and now that very same trait is being revered.
Just a couple of days earlier, Sarfaraz was slandered for attempting a counterattack from the word go. While he may have been in the wrong, considering the situation the team were trapped in, he has silenced everyone by using the same method to find success the second time around. He scored two boundaries off his first six deliveries to be off and running, not looking back since then.
What Sarfaraz Khan has pulled off is more than just a fleeting statement, it is a stamp of authority
The reason why indelible is mentioned in the title is because Sarfaraz Khan's knock could go down in history books if India manage to pull off the impossible. Even if they don't, there was enough in that knock to excite the fans, his teammates, and most importantly - the selectors.
Ravi Shastri mentioned on air that Sarfaraz wants the selectors to jot his name down first, and that is where the stamp of authority comes into play. He is no stranger to runs, only the stage is different this time around. The same bowlers that terrorized India in the first innings have been tamed.
With Sarfaraz, you know that this hundred is not an anomaly. He has not attained an average of 70 in first-class cricket by scoring the odd tons here and there. His penchant for daddy hundreds, with his Irani Cup knock (222*) being the latest addition, coupled with his knack for consistency, makes it the start of something that should have begun a long time ago.
Sarfaraz missed out on a ton in his maiden Test innings after an unfortunate run-out with Ravindra Jadeja at the other end. He remained unbeaten after his second fifty in the same match. The batter looked set for his maiden ton in Dharamshala in the series finale against England earlier this year but was dismissed on the first ball of the session by Shoaib Bashir.
After so many near-misses, Sarfaraz's century had become a question of 'when' and not 'if.' This time around, luck did play a role, so much so that the first thing Sarfaraz might do after the match, is thank Shubman Gill's stiff neck.
Sarfaraz Khan conquered form but fell prey to reputation
There are two factors that come into play as far as selection is concerned, at least in the early stages, which are form and timing (not the one with the bat). Sarfaraz always had command over the former but never with the latter.
Just when he seemed to have a glimmer of luck with timing, with Ajinkya Rahane being phased out, the youngster was hit by an unwelcome third element — reputation. From his perspective, it would have been hard to digest the likes of his own teammates Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav getting into the Test team before him.
Even when those options did not pan out, Rajat Patidar and a makeshift option in KL Rahul were considered ahead of him. Only when there was no one left, was Sarfaraz Khan finally given the opportunity. Before his debut, Naushad Khan had urged Rohit Sharma to take care of his son. Judging by what he has done so far, Sarfaraz is doing more than fine on his own.
It might be a touch too early to call someone who has played three Tests an 'inspiration.' But to the aspiring kids toling in the relentless October heat, with their stained shirts along with cuts and bruises in the Azad Maidan, Sarfaraz Khan gives them hope that there is more out there if they keep grinding.