Sarfaraz Khan had a splendid Ranji Trophy edition for runner-up Mumbai this time while he was named “Man of the Tournament” for his brilliant performance, which saw him score 982 runs for Mumbai.
Sarfaraz Khan had a splendid Ranji Trophy edition for runner-up Mumbai this time. He was named the “Man of the Tournament” for his brilliant performance, which saw him score 982 runs for Mumbai.
In six games, Sarfaraz counted near 1000 runs at a normal of 122.75, competing at the highest point of the batting charts.
Four centuries and two half-centuries were scored by the batter, with the best single score of 275. At a far-off second was Rajat Patidar from Madhya Pradesh, who scored 658 runs in six games at an average of 82.25.
Two centuries and five half-centuries emerged from his bat, with the singular best score of 142.
However, the way to the top was difficult for Sarfaraz. He needed to leave a Mumbai group a couple of years back.
He played for Utter Pradesh from 2015 to 2018. However, Sarfaraz got back in the saddle with the Mumbai group in 2020. Since then, there has been no looking back for the 24-year-old.
“I got emotional in Ranji Trophy when I made a century. When I was leaving Mumbai to play Ranji Trophy for Uttar Pradesh, as I was packing my bags where I was keeping my Mumbai jerseys, which I did not need at that point in time, I was crying. My dream was to make a century wearing a Mumbai jersey. When I was keeping the Mumbai jersey in the bag, I was feeling that maybe I will never be able to for the team again. It was my dream to play for Mumbai, score a ton and then my photo would appear in newspapers,”
Sarfaraz said in an interview with Sportskeeda Cricket.
However, it was before three years that Sarfaraz would return to the Mumbai fold again.
“Then once when I had to return to Uttar Pradesh from Mumbai, I told my dad that I will either play for Mumbai or quit cricket. Then, I took the one-year cooling period and played club games. That was a difficult moment in my life. Then I made a comeback to the Mumbai team. Then when I scored a ton on return, I went on to convert it into a triple century (against Uttar Pradesh in 2020). Then it was my dream to score a ton for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy final. So, though I have scored a few tons in Ranji Trophy, the one in the final was the most special,”
he added.