Selectors urged to recall Sarfaraz Khan in Tests [Source: X]Mumbai cricket has always given some of the greatest batters like Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, and recently, Sarfaraz Khan. Yet, despite ruling the domestic circuit, his India journey has been a rollercoaster of long waits and sudden setbacks.Despite being away from the national side, he shattered the domestic stage with his brilliance, and the cricket world witnessed that in awe. Standing by the Mumbai batter, former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin urged the selectors to give him another chance. Azharuddin lauds Sarfaraz Khan’s domestic dominance Hailing from Mumbai, Sarfaraz Khan shattered the domestic stage at a very early stage, but his dream to debut on the Indian side came late. When he finally made his Test debut in March 2024, he smashed three consecutive fifties, but was still snubbed from the side later on. Even after that disappointment, he kept hustling hard in the domestic circuit. In the ongoing domestic season, the Mumbai batter is having a dream run. After shattering the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he smashed a sublime knock in the last match of the Ranji Trophy. Facing Hyderabad in the last match, he played a sublime knock of 227 runs in 219 balls. After scoring that magnificent knock, he credited former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin. Speaking to the Sportstar, Azharuddin lauded his approach and showered rich praise on the young batter. “At the end of the day, he went and played. He scored those runs, and he should take all the accolades. I am very thankful that he took my name, but it was not required. As long as he scores runs and succeeds, I am very happy. That will be the best gift he can give me,” he said. Sarfaraz Khan’s attacking mindset sets him apart Whenever Sarfaraz takes the strike, the world witnesses some of the fireworks from him, and the last innings was no different. In that monumental 227-run knock, he smashed 19 boundaries and nine sixes. With Mumbai reeling at 82/3, Sarfaraz stood tall and turned the game on its head. Impressed by the fearless assault, Mohammad Azharuddin hailed the youngster’s aggressive approach. “He is a good, attacking player who can change the situation of a game very quickly. He doesn’t like being dominated by the bowler. As a batsman, you need to score runs. If you allow a good bowler to dominate, you are in trouble. I don’t know how the pitch was, but I believe the ball was swinging and the bounce was variable. So for him to score at a good rate underlines his quality,” he said. Azharuddin backs Sarfaraz Khan for another India chance Despite dream domestic runs and a remarkable performance on the debut Test series, Sarfaraz Khan has been snubbed from the side in November 2024. Since then, the youngster has been looking for a chance, as he was ignored in all recent Test series. Hailing his hunger and grit, Mohammad Azharuddin urged selectors to give Sarfaraz another chance to represent India. “He wants to learn. Even after playing for India and then scoring runs, he still wants to learn. That’s a very good sign. Because nobody is perfect. Zaheer Abbas showed me what to change in myself and how, when I was struggling. He showed me how to play fast bowling and swing bowling,” he said. “He [Sarfaraz] deserves another chance to play for India. He has scored runs everywhere, and India needs good attacking players. If you are scoring runs but you still don’t get a chance, it gets very disappointing. But I’m sure he will get it very soon,” he added. Mumbai is having a dream run in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, topping Group A with four wins from six matches and 30 points. On January 29, they will face Delhi in their last group stage match, as fans will expect some more fireworks from Sarfaraz Khan.
