"Respect" - Suryakumar Yadav hails Sarfaraz Khan for his historic double century in Irani Cup 2024
Surykumar Yadav lavished praise on Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan for his double century against the Rest of India in the Irani Cup 2024 on Wednesday (October 2). The right-hander became the first Mumbai batter to score a double century in the tournament's history.
After being invited to bat first, Mumbai got off to a bad start, as they were stuttering at 37/3. However, veteran batters Ajinkya Rahane (97) and Shreyas Iyer (57) stitched together a 102-run stand to put the team in good stead.
Coming at No. 6, Sarfaraz looked flawless as he continued the team's momentum along with Rahane. He further piled misery on the opposition with his 183-run partnership with Tanush Kotian (64). The 26-year-old completed his double century during his 73-run stand with Shardul Thakur (36).
Here's how Sarfaraz Khan celebrated the moment:
Suryakumar posted a video on his Instagram story, praising Sarfaraz along with his brother Musheer for their consistency. Musheer notably scored a century for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy final and helped the side to win the title.
"100 Musheer ka, 100 Sarfaraz ka. Respect," Suryakumar Yadav's story read.
Mumbai ended Day 2 at 536/9, with Sarfaraz remaining unbeaten on 221* off 276, with 25 fours and four sixes.
Fans praise Sarfaraz Khan for his consistency
The cricket fraternity on X were all praises for Sarfaraz Khan, who has continued to deliver consistent performances in domestic cricket. Interestingly, he now holds the second-best average (69.6) by an Indian in first-class cricket with 4000+ runs.
The middle-order batter was also part of the Indian squad for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh. However, after being excluded from the XI, he was allowed to participate in the Irani Cup game.
A few fans demanded the inclusion of Sarfaraz in India's XI in the upcoming Test series.
"He is piling on the runs making selectors job very difficult. KL will be feeling the heat," a fan tweeted.
"I think he should get a chance in playing 11 against Australia in BGT," a fan posted.
"Khadoos mindset... Typical Mumbai player. Legend in the making. Needs to keep going and chances would come. Sarfaraz Khan and Musheer Khan would serve Indian cricket for a long time. Well played," another posted.
Earlier this year, Sarfaraz made his Test debut against England in Rajkot. The right-hander returned with fifties in both innings and impressed the cricket fraternity. He ended the series with 200 runs at an average of 50.