On a run-making spree

Earlier this week, Mumbai demolished Uttarakhand by 725 runs to move into yet another semi-final in the Ranji Trophy. Mumbai has always been producing some of the best batsmen in the country — from Vijay Merchant, Sunil Gavaskar, and Sachin Tendulkar to the current skipper, Rohit Sharma. This is a testimony to the fact that if you are in the Mumbai Ranji team, you need to make every opportunity count for there are many who are waiting on the sidelines to grab any given opportunity.

Some cricketers knock on the selector's door and some have to shout and kick on the door. Well, Sarfaraz has been in the second category. He has done all he could to prove his mettle and a chance likely awaits him for the national team, which may be against Bangladesh or Sri Lanka later this year. With scores of 275, 63, 48, 165 and 153 Sarfaraz now averages a whopping 140 in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season scoring 704 runs in 5 innings and nothing seems real here. The statistical game seems to be a bluff, but that's how easily Sarfaraz has been churning out runs day in and day out.

Another interesting aspect of Sarfaraz's Ranji career is that his batting average sits only next to Don Bradman in List A cricket (for a batsman with a minimum of 2,000 runs).

The youngster has always been recognised as a special player since breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record in Harris Shield by scoring a mammoth 439 runs. The aura around Sarfaraz Khan as he grew up in Mumbai was such that it was only a matter of time before the youngster would make it to the next level. At the age of 17, Sarfaraz got the call up to represent India at the 2014 edition of the Under-19 World Cup. The right-hander had a good campaign ending with 211 runs in six matches at an average of 70.

A good outing in the Under-19 World Cup enabled Sarfaraz to bag his first IPL contract with the Royal Challengers Bangalore the following season. The youngster made an instant impression with an entertaining 21-ball 45 against Rajasthan Royals. At the age of 17, Sarfaraz Khan also became the then youngest player to play in an IPL match. Thereafter, Sarfaraz played in the IPL for the Punjab Kings.

Renowned for his batting temperament within the domestic circuit, the ongoing Ranji Trophy season has seen Sarfaraz Khan display his exemplary form. In five innings so far, Sarfaraz has returned with scores of 275, 63, 48, 165 and 153. The 24-year-old who is going through a purple patch has managed to score 1,632 runs in 10 Ranji matches at an astonishing average of 148.36 since January 2020.

His IPL career is yet to make a mark, but with the opportunities he has had, he returned decent numbers. He played six matches for Delhi last season, went on to remain unbeaten twice, and scored 91 runs at an average of 30.33 with a strike rate of 135.82, including a match-winning 32 off 16 balls against Punjab.

Sooner or later, he will break through the doors of the national side if he keeps on doing his basics — scoring big fat hundreds. As he says, "Mazza aata hain bada madne main" (It is fun to score big).