There were still ten minutes to play after lunch and Sarfaraz Khan, unbeaten on 12 off 42 balls, stood silently by the ropes as his Mumbai teammates engaged in a little football gig.
There was chatter and laughter all around but the 25-year-old stood expressionless as a rock, with hands nice and warm inside lower pockets.
He stared from 22 yards out till the opponent came down the steps of the Delhi pavilion and jogged down the middle. Umpire is out and Sarfaraz walks in.
The first session went the hosts’ way as they sent back the Mumbai top-order comprising the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Armaan Jaffer and Ajinkya Rahane, but the job was only half done as the run-machine was still out in the middle.
For most of the morning session, when the pitch had plenty for the fast bowlers, the right-handed batsman continued to play late and go early.
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During that time, there was not even a moment in which he saw his comrades falling one after the other, where he looked in trouble. Accurate footwork, no rash shots, and played very close to the body.
Those first few balls weren’t looking to win that battle anyway. He was just warming up, assessing the conditions, assessing each bowler and waiting after lunch to satisfy his hunger for runs.
Bright sunshine enveloped the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the second session and before the home side could find their morning zip, Sarfaraz was on them.
Like a boss, he scored easily and didn’t let the spinners settle down. The other took the grip but the right-handed batsman stuck to his plan and piled on the runs from the lower order. The way he read the conditions, adapted and then dominated, was a very experienced approach. The runs he has scored in the last three domestic seasons are a testament to that.
the roar
If the first half of his innings was watchable, the second was an absolute breeze, except for that stumping opportunity when he was batting on 84.
As he entered the nineties, a handful of spectators had their cell phones and cameras on. They knew it was their time to roar. Finally the moment came when he drove hard for a quick single and reached the three-figure mark.
The bowler is almost knocked out by Yogesh Sharma with a mini dash, which is preceded by the trademark loud roar.
Out came the helmet and with a loud “Chalo” he celebrated the hundred like there was no tomorrow. After this Moosewala was slapped on the thigh and then Amol Majumdar took off his cap from the dressing room.
merciless
Since the start of 2020, Sarfaraz has been absolutely relentless in the domestic circuit, especially in the red ball. He has scored 2765 runs in 20 matches at an impressive average of 131.66 and has already scored 12 hundreds – including a triple and two double hundreds.
These knocks on the selectors’ door haven’t been enough for him to make it into the Test team just yet and the right-handed batsman will surely break down the door at the rate he is going.
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125 vs Delhi was his third ton of the season and he certainly won’t stop there.
rollercoaster days
The last few days were an emotional rollercoaster as the disappointment of not making it to the Test team hit him hard. An SOS call was made to Naushad’s father, who took the first flight to Delhi and practiced with his son at the Ghaziabad academy two days before the Ranji tournament.
Even as his team-mates looked jovial during the photo op with the broadcaster, it was not the usual chirpy Sarfaraz on the eve of the match.
Shoulders were clearly down as he walked slowly back to the changing room and politely declined to interact with the media. A ton later, the mood changed, the chin went back and the smile returned.
“The team palace is cool when I am inside. I enjoy inside, he enjoys outside.
No wonder the team looked so relaxed during the lunchtime football gig when the scoreboard barely read 91/4.
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