Sarfaraz Khan slams his second century in Buchi Babu Tournament
What's the story
Sarfaraz Khan, the Mumbai batsman, scored a brilliant 109* against Haryana in the ongoing Buchi Babu Tournament. The innings came as a rescue mission for Mumbai after an early collapse at 84/4 in Chennai. Sarfaraz, who earlier hammered a stellar 138 against TNCA XI, is sure to grab the attention of selectors ahead of India's Test series against West Indies starting in October.
Match details
A look at Sarfaraz's innings
Sarfaraz's unbeaten 109 came off as many balls. The knock was studded with 9 fours and 5 sixes. He also added a 117-run partnership with Hardik Tamore (39) for the fifth wicket. Earlier, openers Divyaansh Saxena (46) and Musheer Khan (30) gave Mumbai a solid start in their third and final Buchi Babu Tournament match.
Pre-season performance
Century in Mumbai's opening match
Sarfaraz had started the pre-season tournament on a high, scoring an aggressive 138 against TNCA XI in Mumbai's opening match. The Indian batter missed the last match against Bengal as Mumbai tested their bench strength. Notably, Mumbai have been eliminated from the tournament. They drew their second encounter against Bengal but ended up conceding a first-innings lead.
Miss
Sarfaraz dropped for England Test series
Sarfraz is vying for a national comeback. He was excluded for the recently concluded England Test series. The 27-year-old was part of India's squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia but didn't get a chance to play in any of the five matches. Sarfaraz's last appearance in Tests was during New Zealand's tour of India last year. He scored a brilliant 150 in Bengaluru but managed just 21 runs in four innings thereafter.
Comeback
Will Sarfarz bounce back?
Despite scoring two half-centuries in his debut Test, against England at home last year, Sarfaraz was ignored for the England tour. His absence saw Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan prevail. However, with an impressive average of over 65 in First-Class cricket, Sarfaraz has made a strong case for inclusion in India's squad for upcoming home series against West Indies and South Africa. Sarfaraz owns 17 tons in 56 First-Class matches. He averages 37.10 in six Tests.