All eyes were on Sarfaraz Khan on Thursday as he was making his debut for India, after missing out on several occasions despite performing well in the domestic circuit. The Mumbai player lived up to his reputation as he produced a blistering knock and didn’t give the vibe of a debut player.

Despite his crafted and skillful innings on Thursday, Sarfaraz’s debut is remembered more for the joyful emotions of his family, who were present in the stadium to witness the dashing batsman’s most awaited India cap.

Sarfaraz Khan’s debut: Father Naushad Khan is happy with his son’s success

Sarfaraz’s father and coach Nausahd Khan, and wife Romana Zahoor were present at the Niranjan Shah Stadium at the cap presentation. After receiving his cap, Sarfaraz rushed to his emotional father and wife to make them touch the cap. The moment was very special to Naushad Khan as it was years of hard work that finally reaped rewards.

The Indian Captain Rohit Sharma was seen extending his greetings to Naushad Khan. “Everyone knows what you have done for Sarfaraz,” Rohit said. He then turned to Sarfaraz’s wife, extending congratulations to her as well. The most touching part came when an emotional Naushad Khan appealed to Rohit Sharma. “Please take care of him, Sir,” an emotional father said. Rohit Sharma assured that he would look after Sarfaraz.

Sarfaraz Khan with a splendid knock on debut

After opting to bat, India was put on the back foot by the English bowlers, especially Mark Wood who rattled the centurions from the previous game. The team looked in trouble at 33/3. But the Indian Captain along with the local boy Ravindra Jadeja rescued the innings and put up a 204-run partnership. The Captain also brought up his hundred in the course.

After Rohit’s dismissal, Sarfaraz joined Jadeja and controlled the innings. The debutant took his time to settle and then played some ‘pleasing to the eyes’ shots, not allowing any momentum to the opponents. Jadeja was stranded approaching his hundred, but Sarfaraz kept playing his shots. He also brought up his fifty in no time. Unfortunately, his miscommunication with Ravindra Jadeja saw him short of a Mark Wood direct hit ending his impressive debut.

Reflecting on his debut, Sarfaraz said that it was the proudest moment of his life.
“My dad wished to play for India, but it didn’t happen for certain reasons. There wasn’t much support at home back then. He put a lot of effort into my training and is now doing the same for my brother. That was the proudest moment for me,” Sarfaraz said post-match.

“I wasn’t thinking much about runs or performance. I was just happy to play for India in front of my dad. He wasn’t keen on coming to Rajkot, but some people convinced him. He had to come because he worked so hard for this day. My father was very emotional when I received the cap in front of him, and so was my wife. It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders knowing the effort he put into me, and I didn’t let it go to waste,” he added.

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