- Khan’s first-class average always going to put him in conversation.
- The last big one, a 125-ball innings, came in a halting Mumbai.
- Sarfaraz played 71 not out in his debut match for India A.
Sarfaraz Khan will accept it even though it doesn’t sound as good as Bradmanesque does. After all, his role is to “keep scoring runs, for whichever team, all the time,” as his father Naushad Khan put it. Since his second coming, he has been playing first-class cricket more effectively than the majority of players ever have.
Sarfaraz’s ‘A’ tour to Bangladesh did not go well, but he has subsequently made three century in seven Ranji Trophy innings, adding to his previous Ranji aggregate of 928 runs from nine innings at 154.66 and 982 runs from nine innings at 122.75. In January 2020, there were seven centuries, including a triple-hundred, versus Uttar Pradesh. The last big one, a 125-ball innings, came in a halting Mumbai batting effort in Delhi yesterday, when the next biggest score was Prithvi Shaw’s 40 and the team totaled only 293.
Don Bradman’s first-class average of 80.47 from 36 matches (before the new century) was always going to put him into the conversation, and it did after play on Tuesday. “It makes me happy that I’ve come close to breaking his [Bradman’s] record in the last three seasons,” he remarked. “It won’t always be the same, but I’m glad to be in his company right now.” For the record, while Bradman averaged 99.94 in Tests, he averaged 95.14 in first-class cricket.
With figures like these, it’s easy to see why there’s been a push to give him a shot at the Test level. Recently, whenever an Indian Test squad was revealed and he was not included, concerns were raised. When the squad for the first two Tests against Australia was announced on January 13, the prevailing consensus was: what else does Sarfaraz need to do? It occurred to him as well.
“My father arrived in Delhi a few days ago, and I practiced with him for two days before the game in Ghaziabad [near Delhi]. He was aware of my disappointment at not being chosen “Sarfaraz explained. “‘Our duty is to keep scoring runs, for whichever team, all the time,’ he said. Since I was a child, anytime I was puzzled or things did not go as planned, Dad has done the same thing; he just motivates me, gives me confidence, and mentally prepares me.”
Hundred and counting! 💯
Yet another impressive knock from Sarfaraz Khan 👏👏
Follow the Match ▶️ https://t.co/sV1If1IQmA#RanjiTrophy | #DELvMUM | @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/GIRosM7l14
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 17, 2023
Sarfaraz’s lack of fitness may be one of the reasons for his repeated exclusion from the Test squad. At the same time, while he has put up monster statistics in the Ranji Trophy and first-class cricket in general, he hasn’t always shone when given the chance at the India A level. Sarfaraz has 205 runs at an average of 34.16 in six ‘A’ games so far. He scored 21 and 0 in two innings during a visit of Bangladesh just before the Ranji season began.
“A human being cannot always be successful,” he stated when asked about the ‘A’ numbers. “I got 71 not out in my debut match for India A [in Bloemfontein]. The other players all left, so I could have scored a century. But, yeah, I was terminated a couple times on the cheap. Following that, I went out early once in the series against New Zealand A and scored 60 in another.
“It’s occurred a few times where the lower-order batters were out quickly, and I didn’t get a chance to score more. I’ll keep working to increase my numbers for India A as well.”
Sarfaraz stated of his physical fitness, “The Delhi Capitals [his IPL team] held a 14-day fitness camp in December of last year to prepare their players for the season. So I’ve been training hard since then to keep my fitness level high. With the upcoming IPL season in mind, the Delhi Capitals club is focusing on the fitness of its players, particularly me.”
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