India vs England | ‘Waited for years, told myself wait a bit more’: Sarfaraz Khan dedicates his debut fifty to his father

Of all the charming delights that Sarfaraz Khan rolled out on the most entertaining Test debut by an Indian in recent memory, it was his reply to a question about how he handled the wait, the nerves, and batted as attackingly as he did that stood out. Sarfaraz said in an absolute matter-of-fact way: “I play the spinners really well and the fielders were all up. I have been doing this for a long while now”. Statement of facts dropped without any ‘mike-drop’ grandstanding to them.

As if he wasn’t aware of the unbelievable turmoil of his father in raising two sons with the sole mission of making them play for India.

On air, just as he walked out to bat, Sanjay Manjrekar perhaps attempted some humour, remarking the hours of waiting he had done padded up as Ravindra Jadeja and Rohit Sharma’s partnership kept extending. Pat came the reply from Dinesh Karthik, who has waited most of his career watching MS Dhoni rule the spot behind the stumps. “He knows how to wait. He has waited for five years for this chance.” He certainly is intimate with the art of waiting.

A journey that is all heart 🫶🥹

Hear from a proud father on a very memorable day for Sarfaraz Khan 🤗 – By @ameyatilak#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/Imk7OTuSVM

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 15, 2024

“Yes I was padded up for four-and-half hours. I told myself I have waited for so many years, let me show more patience and wait a bit more,” Sarfaraz said. When he came out to bat, Wood and England were waiting with the bouncer trap. They must have seen Sarfaraz hop around a bit in the IPL with that line of attack. They have also seen how Shreyas Iyer had handled it in the earlier Test. Sarfaraz, though, didn’t take that route.

He swayed, ducked, and managed to contort his body into positions of safety. Admittedly, the ball was soft, the pitch was comatose then, but it’s the little signs that one looks for in these moments. Signs of either ego coming in to show the world that he isn’t afraid of bouncers or actual fear of failure against the short balls. Neither came. Sterner tests would come in more difficult conditions but for a young man already labelled as a walking wicket against short ball, he sailed through that phase.

He did acknowledge the pressure he felt in that initial phase. “There was a bit of nervousness early but once I got into my zone it was fine. I knew runs would come.”

From The Huddle! 🔊

A Test cap is special! 🫡

Words of wisdom from Anil Kumble & Dinesh Karthik that Sarfaraz Khan & Dhruv Jurel will remember for a long time 🗣️ 🗣️

You Can Not Miss This!

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— BCCI (@BCCI) February 15, 2024

Here is where Jadeja also helped, talking to the youngster after every other ball. A longer chat ensued when Sarfaraz tumbled over, failing to connect with a powerful sweep shot that he is known for in domestic cricket.

“Jaddu bhai said, wait, take your time,” said Sarfaraz. “I am someone who likes to chat in the middle. So I had told him to speak to me. When you are new, there is bound to be some nervousness: thoughts of would I get out etc. When I tried playing that first sweep, he said “take your time.”

More emotions about his journey rushed through. As he has always done, he brought up his father’s struggle and goal in raising two sons for exactly this moment. His younger brother had just starred in the U-19 World Cup and now it was his turn to make the father proud.

“My father has worked really hard on my and my brother’s cricket. This is the proudest moment of my life. All my father’s efforts have paid off. It felt good he saw me getting the Test cap. My wife was also emotional. I felt very happy that I could do this for them.”

A response to how he felt about being run out by Jadeja also stood out. “It happens. It’s cricket. These things happen.” With a smile. There must have been obvious disappointment but the disarming way he said it almost made one believe every word.

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