Sarfaraz Khan: A 'wandering cricketer on the road to stardom

Naushad Khan, a father of his son, had visited Bangalore before India's 2014 Under-19 Cricket World Cup squad left Bangalore.

Sarfaraz Khan: A 'wandering cricketer on the road to stardom

Naushad Khan, a father of his son, had visited Bangalore before India's 2014 Under-19 Cricket World Cup squad left Bangalore.

Sarfaraz Khan was selected as a batter in the 15 man squad along with Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda. Bharat Arun was the coach of the side, and would go on to become the architect for India's fast-bowling revolution.

Arun was informed by Naushad that Naushad was present, and he called him to his room. Naushad recalls, "He assured me not to worry and said that everything would be okay." "I told him to look after Sarfaraz because he's a little naughty."

Arun explained to him that Sarfaraz's humor was actually a benefit for the team.

"He doesn't hesitate to look at Pakistani and Australian players and make a joke. This lightens the mood. This is his attitude. Arun states that if he loses this attitude, his performance will also suffer."

Since then, not much has changed. Sarfaraz cracks jokes. He is a Mumbai player in the Ranji Trophy, India’s premier domestic cricket tournament.

Amol Muzumdar describes him as the "life of the team" by his Mumbai team coach. He is still fearless on the cricket field, and he still scores runs in great numbers.

Sarfaraz scored 1,910 runs in 12 games during the Ranji Trophy season, an average of 136.42. He also scored seven centuries and made 11 fifties. His accomplishments are hard to overstate.

VVS Laxman holds the record for most runs scored in a Ranji Trophy season. He made 1,415 runs between 1999 and 2000. It remains the benchmark for domestic cricket batting in India. Laxman was able to play nine games in that season. In the previous two seasons, Sarfaraz played six games. He had scored 1,479 runs by the end of his ninth run.

This is the kind impact he has had. His hard work and dedication are a large part of his success. Naushad also coached Sarfaraz and Musheer, his younger brother, who is now a successful cricketer at 17.

Sarfaraz is often tearful when he speaks about his childhood. He often wonders what would happen if his father hadn't been there to support him.

During practice sessions, Naushad would often place a price tag on Sarfaraz's wicket. Every time Sarfaraz was out, he would give him 50 rupees (PS5). To ensure that his son had a difficult time during net sessions, he did this.

On some days, he would spend 300-400 rupees. This was a large sum for a middle-class family, and Sarfaraz had to work hard to keep his money.

"I don't say this to be disrespectful, but it is difficult to find such an individual in this world. His dedication is unsurpassed. Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with knee problems and told by doctors that he should have the operation. He didn't do it because he believed that if something went wrong and he became wheelchair bound, he would coach us. ".

Sarfaraz, along with Prithvi Shaw (Prithvi Shaw) and Armaan Jaffer, was a gifted cricketer. Naushad moved briefly to Uttar Pradesh (UP), after feeling it was difficult to find opportunities in Mumbai.

The season with the UP team was not a success and the family returned to Mumbai. Before he could play again for the Mumbai team, he had to go through a mandatory "cooling-off" period.

He was also a strong endorsement of his talents in the Indian Premier League T20 tournament, where he was one of three players retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The other two were Virat Kohli, a former Indian captain, and AB de Villiers, a South African star.

The auction allowed only a few players to remain, and those that were not sold had to be put into an auction. Later, an RCB analyst stated that Sarfaraz was one of the few players capable of scoring at a rapid pace.

His form was not good enough and he had questions about his lack of discipline.

He scored heavily in the Mumbai game's longer format, and that made him a strong candidate for a national team spot.

Sarfaraz isn't bothered by his weight. He says, "When I have the bat in both my hands, I get into that zone." "It doesn’t matter who is there, crowd or selectors. If Allah allows it, I will be selected.

Because of his hard work, and the training he received from his father, he believes in himself. To practice, he had to be a "wandering nomad". To avoid the rainy season in Mumbai, his father drove him to UP. Most practice venues were closed during this time. They would stop in every city with a practice facility during their 1,400km (870 mile) journey.

This is just one example of all the hard work that the father-son team has put into achieving their dream of Sarfaraz playing for India. Given the media buzz, it's possible that the day is not far away.