New Delhi ∙ Sarfaraz Khan once again scored a brilliant century in the Ranji Trophy despite declaring that he is not a God to shine in every match. Sarfaraz scored another century against Delhi in the Ranji Trophy amid controversy over his omission from the squad for the first two Tests against Australia. In a match where the Mumbai batsmen were generally disappointed, Sarfaraz scored 125 runs in the 5th over! Sarfaraz Khan scored 125 runs off 155 balls with 16 fours and four sixes.
Sarfaraz saved Mumbai by losing four wickets in 66 runs and five wickets in 110 runs, with a century partnership with Shams Mulani in the sixth wicket. Both scored 144 runs off 194 balls. Apart from this, the partnerships that reached double figures in the Mumbai line were only in the opening wicket (53 in 68 balls) and in the fifth wicket (44 in 86 balls by Sarfaraz and Pawar).
This is Sarfaraz Khan’s third century this season. Earlier, Sarfaraz scored a century against Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu. In the last match against Assam, Sarfaraz, who got a chance to bat in only one innings, remained unbeaten with 28 runs. This is also the 13th century of Sarfaraz who is playing only 37th match in his first class career. The star has scored 3505 runs at an average of over eighty. He has also taken five wickets in first-class cricket.
Sarfaraz’s performances in Ranji Trophy since 2019: 71*, 36, 301*, 226*, 25, 78, 177, 6, 275, 63, 48, 165, 153, 40, 59*, 134, 45, 5, 126*, 75, 20, 162, 15*, 28*, 125. Earlier, Suryakumar Yadav was included in the squad for the series against the Aussies, replacing Sarfaraz, who has been a regular in Ranji. Former players including former players have come forward to criticize Sarfaraz for beating him.
∙ Despite Sarfaraz’s brilliance, Mumbai is ‘tired’
At the same time, Mumbai were all out for 293 runs in the first innings against Delhi as Sarfaraz was brilliant with his century and went without anyone to partner with. Mumbai were bowled out for 293 runs in 79.2 overs. Apart from Sarfaraz, only opener Prithvi Shah (40 off 35 balls), Musheer Khan (14 off 46 balls), Pawar (25 off 51 balls), Shams Mulani (39 off 103 balls) and Tanush Kotian (17 not out off 30 balls) saw double figures in the Mumbai line-up.
Captain Ajinkya Rahane (two in 25 balls) and Armaan Jaffer (two in nine balls) were all disappointing. Pranshu Vijayran took four wickets for Delhi. The player took four wickets conceding 66 runs in 20 overs. Harshit Rana and Yogesh Sharma took two wickets and Divij Mehra took one wicket.
∙ ‘I am not God to shine forever’
Earlier, while responding to criticism that Sarfaraz’s inability to shine when he played for India A prevented him from making the Indian team, Sarfaraz in an interview revealed that he is not a god to shine in every game. In the interview, the actor also responded to the criticism that he is overweight.
“Isn’t it natural that I lose one or two matches? This is cricket. anything could happen. I am not God. I may not be able to score big in every competition. I’m still pretty fit. Played in all matches so far. I can go fast. Everyone has a different physical nature. It cannot be changed. I have passed all yo-yo tests. “If you don’t pass the Yo-Yo test, you can’t play in the IPL,” said Sarfaraz.
English Summary: Mumbai Batter Sarfaraz Khan Hits Another Ton In Ranji Trophy