India batsman Sarfaraz Khan spoke about his first outing for Team India in the ongoing third Test against England in Rajkot. He said that his dream was to play opposite his father on the national team, since he started training when he was 6 years old.
All the years of hard work finally paid off for Sarfaraz Khan when he was handed the India Test cap on Thursday (February 15). The batsman made sure to make his debut special as he played a whirlwind innings and made many stand up and applaud him.
Sarfaraz Khan looked solid from the start, came to bat and played some accurate shots. In front of his parents, he scored a vital half-century and helped his team get a strong position on Day 1 of the third match in Rajkot.
Sarfaraz Khan played spin very well and looked calm at the crease. He wasn’t wrong, but unfortunately he was left with nothing when a mix-up with Ravindra Jadeja led him back to the cabin. He finished with an innings of 62 runs off 66 balls and also hit 9 boundaries and 1 six in his innings.
Sarfaraz Khan spoke about his excitement while playing for India. He revealed that he was padded for four hours and that he was also nervous when he came out to bat. Speaking to reporters, he explained:
“Getting to the ground for the first time and getting the cap in front of my dad. I was six years old when he started my cricket training. My dream was to play for the Indian team opposite him.
“I was padded for almost four hours (in the locker room). I kept thinking that I have had a lot of patience in life and that there is nothing wrong with having a little more. After coming in, I was nervous for the first few balls, but I practiced and worked so hard that everything turned out well.”
I was happy playing for India in front of my father – Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan further spoke about his father’s dream of playing for India and said that he couldn’t play due to some reasons but he worked equally hard on it. He said it was the proudest moment of his life playing in front of his father.
Speaking more about his father, he explained:
“My father’s dream was to play for India but unfortunately it couldn’t happen due to some reasons, there wasn’t much support from home at that time. He worked very hard with me and now he is doing the same with my brother. It was the proudest moment of my life. I didn’t think so much about runs and performances but was happy playing for India in front of my father.
“I was not ready to come (to Rajkot), but some people insisted that I go. Obviously he had to come since he worked so hard just for this day. He was very excited when I took the cap in front of him and so was my wife. I felt like some pressure was taken off me given the hard work he had done on me and I didn’t waste it.”
Sarfaraz Khan would now hope to reach his level in the second innings. With his half century, he made it clear that he was there to stay.
