Sarfaraz Khan (BCCI Photo)
LUCKNOW: India and Mumbai middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan had promised his family and teammates that he will “score a double century” as a tribute to his brother — who met with an accident last week — and to help the team win the
Irani Cup
. On Wednesday, he delivered on his promise by bringing up his fourth first-class double ton.
His unbeaten 222 also helped Mumbai post 537 in the first innings against Rest of India in the Irani Cup.
It has been a difficult week for Sarfaraz as his father (Naushad) and brother (Musheer) met with an accident while travelling from Azamgarh to Lucknow for the Irani Cup.
The only communication he had with them was over the phone.
“It has been an emotional week for me. I had promised my family and teammates that ‘if I’m set, I will score 200’. A hundred for me and a hundred for my brother. “If he had played, Abbu would have been prouder. Unfortunately, he met with an accident. So, I thought I must somehow score a double ton in this match,” said Sarfaraz.
He added: “I have been speaking to Musheer everyday. He is fine but will take about two or three months to recover.”
The 26-year-old also highlighted the significance of the Irani Cup for the Mumbai team, which last won the tournament in the 1997-98 season.
He emphasized that the team is ready to give everything to lift the Cup after a 26-year gap.
“It’s a huge opportunity for us to win the Irani after 26 years. I have a reputation for playing big knocks, and I’m happy I could deliver when the team needed me. I’ve played in the tournament earlier and scored a century for Rest of India, but this is a very emotional innings for me as I’m playing for my home team.
“I’m putting in extra effort so Mumbai can lift the Cup. The whole team has worked hard to get here by winning the Ranji Trophy (last season),” Sarfaraz said.
The right-handed batter also felt that scoring runs against some of the best players in the country would boost his confidence.
“The weather was obviously a challenge, but when you face some of the best players in India, many of whom have played for the national team, I wanted to make runs against them. It boosts my confidence. I was satisfied with the time I spent in the middle,” he said.
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