Moments after receiving the Test cap from former India captain Anil Kumble, Sarfaraz Khan dashed towards his father who was watching the moment from outside the boundary rope. Naushad couldn’t hold back his tears after getting a bear hug from his son and the day became more memorable for the Khan household as Sarfaraz scored a brilliant half-century on debut.
After what Sarfaraz had been doing in the First Class circuit, his Test debut was always the question of when and not how. And emotions ran high when it finally happened. Naushad was initially reluctant to come today but reached the Niranjan Shah Stadium in time to see his son receive the prized Test cap. For Sarfaraz, “some pressure” is off his shoulders as he didn’t let his father’s hard work go waste.
“Runs and performances were not on my mind as much as I was happy playing for India in front of my father. He was not ready to come but some people insisted that he goes there, obviously he had to come over since he worked so hard only for this day. He was very emotional as I took the cap in front of him and so was my wife. I felt as if some pressure was off my shoulders given the hard work he had put in on me — I did not waste it,” says Sarfaraz in the presser after day’s play got over.
The whole sequence of coming to the ground, receiving the cap and then playing how he did was indeed a dream come true for Sarfaraz who termed it the “proudest moment” of his life.
“I really liked it… coming to the ground for the first time and got the cap in front of my father. I was six years old when he started my cricket. It was my dream to play for the Indian team in front of him. It was my father’s dream to play for India but unfortunately it couldn’t happen due to some reasons and there wasn’t much support from home then. Then he worked very hard on me and is now doing on my brother. It was the proudest moment of my life,” says Sarfaraz.
The conversation with Jadeja
Laced with nine boundaries and a six, Sarfaraz’s 66-ball 62 was an authoritative entry into the Test arena and not once did he look overawed or intimidated by the occasion. There were early nerves but it was business as usual after he faced some deliveries in the middle. The 204-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja meant Sarfaraz had to wait for a long time with the pads on but he wasn’t complaining.
“I was padded for almost four hours. I kept thinking that I have kept so much patience in life and there is no harm in keeping some more. After I went in, was nervous for first few balls but I have practiced and worked so hard that everything went well,” says Sarfaraz.
When he walked out to bat, the right-hander faced a lot of short-music from Mark Wood but constant conversations with Jadeja, who was well set at the other end, allowed him to see off the initial nervy period. During the Lunch interval, when Jadeja was still batting with Rohit, Sarfaraz made a request to his senior teammate.
“I spoke to him at Lunch time and told him to talk to me while playing. I like talking while playing. It was my first time also. So I told him that when I come out to bat, keep talking to me while playing. He kept talking and supported me a lot while I was batting,” reveals Sarfaraz.
Multiple times during their partnership, Jadeja walked up to the debutant and asked him to just look to spend time in the middle.
“He just said that when a newcomer starts, lot of thoughts come to mind. Like whether I would be able to play or get out… As I said, there is initial nervousness and when I played that first sweep shot and it turned, he told me to spend time in the middle. I tried to do that and got runs in the process,” says Sarfaraz.
England operated with attacking fields when Sarfaraz was batting and the 26-year-old cashed in on the scoring opportunities. He used the sweep to good effect, picked the length early and didn’t hesitate to go aerial.
“I have been doing this for a long time and the field was also up. I had an opportunity and they had one too — they had the chance against a new batter who could make a mistake resulting in another wicket for them and I had the opportunity when the field was up and I also play the spinners well. I played freely on the loose balls with a singular plan,” says Sarfaraz.
Sarfaraz was looking well set for a big hundred but an unfortunate mix-up with Jadeja ended his sparkling innings. Visuals of a visibly upset Rohit have already gone viral on social but Sarfaraz down played the mix-up and said It’s all part of the game.
“It is part of the game. Miscommunication happens in cricket. Sometimes run out happens, sometimes doesn’t. All this goes on in cricket,” Says Sarfaraz.
While exiting the press conference room, the youngster was greeted and congratulated by England assistant coach Paul Collingwood who later lauded the right-hander’s “courage” on debut.
“On debut, it takes a lot of courage to play like Sarfaraz Khan. Ben Stokes kept attacking fields to create some chances but he wasn’t afraid to go over the top,” says Collingwood.
The courageous approach did surprise the English camp but it was business as usual for those who have seen him bat for Mumbai in the domestic circuit.
Comments
0 comment