Ignored India batter Sarfaraz Khan credited former captain Mohammad Azharuddin after scoring a commanding double century for Mumbai in their Ranji Trophy 2025-26 clash against Hyderabad.
Sarfaraz struck 227 against Azharuddin’s home side, Hyderabad, in the Elite Group D Ranji Trophy match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, helping Mumbai post a massive first-innings total of 560. His innings featured 19 fours and nine sixes, at a strike rate of 103.65, against a bowling attack that included India’s pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj.
Sarfaraz credited Azharuddin
After the match, Sarfaraz revealed that a meeting with Azharuddin on the eve of the game had been especially helpful, particularly in dealing with reverse swing.
“I haven’t faced much reverse swing in my career. Azhar sir told me the ball reverses early here and showed me where to stand for inswingers. He even demonstrated shots. We talked for nearly two hours,” Sarfaraz said.
He also spoke about his long-standing admiration for Azharuddin’s batting. “When I was young, my father used to show me videos of Azhar sir. Even now, he shows me clips of his flick shots. I’ve always been a big fan of his style,” Sarfaraz added.
Sarfaraz's lethal form in domestic cricket
Sarfaraz Khan has been in brilliant form across all three formats. He scored hundreds for Mumbai in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In the VHT, he finished as Mumbai’s leading run-scorer, amassing 303 runs in six innings at an average of 75.75 and a strike rate of 190.56.
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Sarfaraz Khan's international career
Despite these strong performances, Sarfaraz has been away from the international scene for a long time. His last appearance for India came during the Test series against New Zealand in November 2024. The stylish batter was part of India's Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 squad but he was benched for all five matches. Sarfaraz has played six Tests for India, scoring one century.