Training in Ghaziabad before game vs Delhi & season fitness camp with DC have kept Mumbai batter focused despite India snub
NEW DELHI: As he reached yet another century, you could hear Sarfaraz's roar echo around the Ferozeshah Kotla on Tuesday afternoon. His celebratory run must have covered at least 40 yards around the outfield as the entire Mumbai camp doffed its hat.
For the umpteenth time in the past three seasons, Sarfaraz has bailed Mumbai out of a tricky situation. The young Delhi attack had reduced them to 110/5 by the first hour of the second session of the first day's play.
Sarfaraz has been in such ominous form that it seems he has to just turn up at Ranji Trophy games and the big runs will simply flow. His class and mastery over domestic attacks was on show again as his 155-ball 125 helped Mumbai put up 293 at stumps.
This century stands out for a reason. It has come four days after he was ignored again by the national selectors for the first two Tests at home against Australia. He didn't hide his disappointment and also reminded the world on social media that only Don Bradman had better performances. The day after he was ignored, he arrived in Delhi and headed to Ghaziabad. His father Naushad showed up too. They decided to train in Ghaziabad beyond Mumbai's practice hours at Kolta.
"I was practising in Ghaziabad with my dad for the last two days. He knew I was upset, that's why he came. My aim is to keep scoring runs wherever I play. He has motivated me from my childhood whenever I am low, like when I started playing for UP and didn't do well," Sarfaraz said after the day's play.
He's only 25 now but fighting the odds has become a routine for Sarfaraz — off the field or on the pitch where he is tasked with repairing Mumbai's batting innings. "It's become a habit to bat at 16/3, 20/4 etc. I like to spend time on the pitch if it's not conducive to strokemaking. Opponents become laidback after lunch and that's when I start scoring quickly. From my early days, I have been batting with the tail and I've scored double and triple hundreds. I can read the game well," he proudly stated.
When he was building the 144-run sixth-wicket partnership with Shams Mulani, Sarfaraz asked the scorers to take off his individual runs from the scoreboard at the ground. He didn't want to be distracted by any looming milestone. Each of his punches to the boundary and beyond seemed like trolling the national selectors. The cuts were ferocious, the punch drives were elegant and the sixes down the ground were full of disdain.
His fitness and lack of runs for India ‘A' are believed to be reasons for him not being selected. But he has shed a lot of weight and he thanks the Delhi Capitals for helping him. "In the off season, we had a two-week camp in Gurgaon organized by Capitals. We did rigorous fitness trainings. I went back to Mumbai and continued that regimen. Capitals have backed me a lot," he claimed.
