Sarfaraz Khan‘s remarkable form in the first-class circuit continues to impress, as the Mumbai batter registered yet another century in the ongoing Irani Cup clash against the Rest of India. Coming in at number five, Sarfaraz produced a batting brilliance on Day 2 at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, helping the team build upon Shreyas Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane’s stand early in the innings.
His century also placed him in elite company, equaling the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, who each have two centuries in the prestigious tournament.
Many other batting stalwarts, including Shikhar Dhawan, Polly Umrigar, and India’s shining young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, also have two centuries to their name in the Irani Cup. Dilip Vengsarkar and Gundappa Viswanath hold the joint record for most centuries in the tournament (4), while Hanuma Vihari, Abhinav Mukund, Sunil Gavaskar, and Wasim Jaffer have three centuries each.
In a crucial fifth-wicket partnership with Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Sarfaraz stitched together a vital 131-run stand that steadied the innings after a shaky start. While Rahane fell agonizingly short of a century, scoring 97 off 234 deliveries, Sarfaraz breached the three-figure mark, scoring his 15th century in first-class cricket. Interestingly, Sarfaraz has now hit more centuries than half-centuries (14) in the domestic red-ball circuit.
Sarfaraz left Team India on Day 4
Interestingly, it was announced during Day 4 of the second Test against Bangladesh that Sarfaraz, along with Dhruv Jurel and Yash Dayal, was released from the Team India squad. Sarfaraz didn’t take part in the first Test, either, but was used frequently as a substitute fielder in both matches.
He made his Team India debut earlier this year during the Test series against England, making a strong start to his international career. However, Sarfaraz was forced to bench as KL Rahul returned to the playing XI, assuming the no.6 role in the batting order.
Sarfaraz, however, is likely to retain his place in the Test squad when India returns to the longest format during the series against New Zealand later this month.
