Sarfaraz Khan credits Azharuddin for Ranji Trophy double century

Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan scored a brilliant double century in the Ranji Trophy against Hyderabad, crediting former India captain Mohd Azharuddin for his guidance. Sarfaraz said Azhar’s tips on handling reverse swing helped him prepare for the challenging pitch conditions

Hyderabad: Not many in the Hyderabad camp might have been aware of the secret behind Mumbai star batter Sarfaraz Khan’s brilliant double century in the ongoing Ranji Trophy league match at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Friday.

The 28-year-old Sarfaraz revealed at the end of the day’s play that a day before the match he met his cricketing hero and former India captain Mohd Azharuddin at his official chambers in the Secretariat. He spent nearly two hours with Azharuddin, who is now a Minister in the Telangana Cabinet, receiving invaluable batting tips.

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“Credit for this double century goes to Azharuddin sir,” Sarfaraz said.

“Azharuddin sir told me there would be a lot of reverse swing here. He spent 90 minutes with me, showed me how to bat and where to take the stance on leg-stump to counter the reverse swing. That helped me a lot,” the double centurion added.

“From my younger days, my father always showed videos of Azhar sir and told me how to play the flick stroke like him. I always longed to have a detailed discussion with him. This was the first such long meeting. He showed how a few shots can be played and gave important tips from his vast experience,” Sarfaraz said.

Sarfaraz mentioned that the finger injury he sustained during nets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy is still troubling him.

On making a loud statement — Mumbai meri maa hai (Mumbai is my mother) — after reaching the double century landmark, Sarfaraz said he always wanted to contribute to the team’s success by scoring big.

“The pitch was not easy, some balls were either kicking up or keeping low. So, only those who attack can score runs here, you can’t be too defensive,” Sarfaraz said.