Mumbai middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan stole Ajinkya Rahane’s thunder with a stupendous 275-run knock in Ranji Trophy game against defending champions Saurashtra. Sarfaraz hit 30 fours and seven sixes in his mammoth knock to help Mumbai dominate their first game of the season.
Starting his innings from an overnight score of 121, Sarfaraz shifted gears and took 182 deliveries to add 154 more runs to his tally. On Day 2, he hit five sixes and 15 more fours at Sardar Vallabhai Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad. The 24-year-old was the last wicket to fall on Day 2.
Earlier, he shared a 252-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Rahane. The veteran fell early in the first session on Day 2. He scored 129 runs from 290 deliveries including 17 fours and two sixes. Wicketkeeper-batter Aditya Tare (22) and Shams Mulani (12) got off to good starts but could not convert them into a big score. No.8 batter Tanush Kotian batted well with Sarfaraz after Dharmendrasinh Jadeja got two wickets in the second session.
Kotian and Sarfaraz shared a 118-run partnership for the seventh wicket with the latter doing more damage. After Sarfaraz lost his wicket to Prerak Mankad, Kotian went on to score 50 runs from 81 deliveries with the help of seven fours and one six. On the other end, Dhawal Kulkarni remained unbeaten for 15.
This was Sarfaraz’s fifth century in the First-Class format. He missed a chance of scoring his second triple century in the whites. His highest score in First-Class games is unbeaten 31.
Yet to make his international debut, Sarfaraz has showed temperament in the long format of the game. He was also a part of India A’s tour of South Africa where he scored an unbeaten 71-run knock in one of the two games he got a chance.
The innings came after Sarfaraz’s stocks dropped in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction last week. The former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) player was picked by Delhi Capitals (DC) for his base price of Rs 20 lakh. DC got a steal deal as no other franchise bid for him.
