Why Sarfaraz Khan deserves all the hype and love he got
The long-awaited Test debut of Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan has been among the highlights of the thrilling India-England Test series.
However, to his credit, Sarfaraz remained grounded and focused on allowing his bat to do the talking in his maiden Test outing in the third Test in Rajkot. With the side in a precarious situation at 237/4, the 26-year-old scored a breathtaking 62 off 66 balls to lead them into the ascendancy.
Sarfaraz followed that with another quickfire 68 off 72 in the second innings as India steamrolled England by 434 runs.
While scores of 14 and 0 in the Ranchi Test were a bit of a downer from the high of his Test debut, the youngster has still started his national career on a positive note.
Yet, as is almost the case with anything cricket-related in India, the hype around his debut had fans and experts divided. While some were genuinely delighted at him finally getting the opportunity to don the India cap, others could not comprehend all the hoopla around the same.
Recently, Virender Sehwag made condescending remarks about Dhruv Jurel's incredible debut innings with what appeared to be a shot at Sarfaraz.
"No media hype, no drama, just some outstanding skills and quietly showed great temparement in a very difficult situation.Very Well done Dhruv Jurel. Best wishes," tweeted Sehwag.
Nevertheless, Sarfaraz Khan's rise to the sport and his long-time exploits in domestic cricket despite the prolonged absence from Indian selection should validate all the hype and love he has garnered.
Sarfaraz Khan's early years in cricket were a testament to physical gifts and mental fortitude
The early stages of Sarfaraz Khan's career had a mix of tremendous highs and unfortunate lows.
His entire family revolved around cricket, with Sarfaraz and his brothers spending most of their time working on fitness, batting, bowling, and fielding. During that time, Sarfaraz's father, Naushad, realized his son's potential after watching his unique ability to time the cricket ball at an extremely young age.
Sarfaraz's first monumental achievement on a cricketing field came when he was just 12 and scored 439 runs off 421 balls in Haris Shield (Mumbai’s premier school tournament), breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most runs in an innings.
Yet, those highs were followed by a moment of controversy when accused by a school team of being overage. Sarfaraz was shown to be 15 despite being registered with the Mumbai Cricket Association as a 13-year-old.
Although further tests matched his registered birth date, Sarfaraz was mentally and emotionally disturbed and needed a few months to refocus on cricket.
Nevertheless, the controversy at such a young age only toughened up Sarfaraz, leading to his father further increasing his training schedule by setting up a synthetic turf around his house in Kurla.
His breakthrough moment came when he earned selection for the Mumbai Under-19 team in 2013, and what followed were performances of stratospheric heights in the domestic circuit.
A national call-up was long overdue upon Sarfaraz's heroics in domestic cricket
Perhaps the biggest reason for all the love thrown at Sarfaraz Khan is his painfully long wait for a national call-up despite his pathbreaking first-class performances.
The youngster skyrocketed his way to the Indian Under-19 team soon after impressive displays for the Mumbai Under-19 side. Sarfaraz scored a magical 101 off 66 against South Africa-A in 2013 and went on to play in two Under-19 World Cups for India in 2014 and 2016.
Averaging over 70 in the 2014 edition earned Sarfaraz an IPL contract with RCB at just 17. The talented right-hander enjoyed another sensational tournament in the 2016 U-19 World Cup, averaging 71, which made him the record-holder for most half-centuries at World Cups at the U-19 level.
Just when it looked like an Indian cap was inevitable, Sarfaraz faced questions about his fitness, and an injury in 2017 worsened things for the youngster. However, with an inimitable thirst for runs, the Mumbai batter has set first-class cricket on fire since.
Sarfaraz scored over 900 runs in the 2019-20 and 2021-22 Ranji seasons, helping his overall first-class average to a Bradmanesque 82.83. His unstoppable run of form had the ultimate signature moment when he scored centuries in the 2022 Ranji Trophy final, Duleep Trophy final, and the Irani Cup.
Despite producing historic batting performances, Sarfaraz was overlooked by the national selectors, with several less experienced and accomplished batters preferred in the same period. All of it had fans sympathizing with the Mumbai batter as his legend and stature grew almost from his omission.
Overall, Sarfaraz's stunning first-class numbers read 4,056 runs at an average of almost 69 in 47 games with 14 centuries.
Finally, he was selected in the Test squad for the second Test after his recent 161 against the England Lions and in the absence of several senior players. It is safe to say there hasn't been anyone more deserving of a spot in the Test side than Sarfaraz in recent years, and all the love and hype is well deserved.