Sarfaraz, Rest of India pacers floor Saurashtra

The 2020 Ranji champions were left reeling, first by fast bowlers Mukesh, Umran and Kuldeep, and then by the prolific Mumbai batting on Day 1 of the Irani Cup.

A roar, a slap on the thigh, and a chest thump—Sarfaraz Khan’s celebrations have started to register among the fans like his century scoring spree. On Day One of the Irani Cup against the 2020 Ranji champions Saurashtra in Rajkot, he scored his ninth first-class century in 14 matches since returning to play for Mumbai at the start of the 2019-20 season.

Sarfaraz Khan(BCCI)

His unbeaten 125 (126 b, 19x4, 2x6) was his third consecutive triple figure score in big-ticket domestic tournaments. The other two came in the Ranji Trophy final for Mumbai in a losing cause and for West Zone in last week’s Duleep Trophy final win.

His quick-fire innings and the 187-run stand for the fourth wicket with skipper Hanuma Vihari (62*- 145 b, 9x4, 1x6) helped Rest of India (ROI) reach 205/3 at stumps on Saturday after being reduced to 18/3. Rest led by 107 runs after Saurashtra’s sensational batting collapse that saw them skittled out for 98.

They did not get to play their Irani Cup fixture last year due to Covid restrictions, and Saurashtra were truly caught cold on home turf by the fiery bowling of Mukesh Kumar (4/23), Umran Malik (3/25) and Kuldeep Sen (3/41). The trio exploited the fresh track that offered seam movement and bounce.

Saurashtra’s confidence dipped to its lowest point when their premier batter Cheteshwar Pujara, who had scored runs at will for Sussex in the English County, fell to Sen for one run. They could never recover from that.

The responsibility fell on Sarfaraz and Vihari to steady the ROI ship after they lost openers Abhimanyu Easwaran (0) and Mayank Agarwal (11) and Yash Dhull (5) in succession. They saw off the threat of the new ball, and as the pitched eased, Sarfaraz pressed on the accelerator, scoring runs at will.

Saurashtra skipper and spearhead Jaydev Unadkat (2/47) brought himself back into the attack for a second spell hoping to break the Sarfaraz-Vihari partnership.

But Unadkat, who played a starring role in Duleep Trophy final win last year, never looked threatening. In the fourth over of that spell, he was taken for 16 runs by Sarfaraz, who by then had settled into his scoring rhythm. Soon after, the Mumbai batter brought up his 10th first-class century in just 92 balls, with 15 fours and two sixes.

The 24-year-old was in control of his innings from the first ball he faced. He was cautious to begin with but as the innings progressed, his confidence grew and he showed his versatility by playing shots all around the park, toying with the Saurashtra bowlers and finding the gaps at will.

The knock will be extra special as it came in front of chief selector Chetan Sharma and fellow selector Sunil Joshi. Since 2019-20, he has scored 2,275 runs in 24 first-class innings at an average of 126.38. Those numbers will put him on top of the list when the selectors pick the next India squad.

Brief scores: Saurashtra 98 (Mukesh Kumar 4/23, Kuldeep Sen 3/41, Umran Malik 3/25); Rest of India 205/3 (Hanuma Vihari 62*, Sarfaraz Khan 125*)