I couldn't have asked for a better gift: Sarfaraz Khan

U-19 World Cup star Sarfaraz Khan is more than thrilled at his Mumbai call-up for Vijay Hazare Trophy on return from Dubai; says he always dreamt or representing Mumbai at senior-level

There were a couple of surprises in store for Sarfaraz Khan, who returned from Dubai yesterday after taking part in the ICC U-19 World Cup where India finished fifth.

India U-19 star Sarfaraz Khan receives a warm welcome on his return from Dubai at the city’s international airport yesterday. Pic/Nimesh Dave.

Sarfaraz was pleasantly surprised to see his mother Tabassum Bano, who generally prefers to stay at home, come to receive him at the international airport. The other surprise was the announcement that Sarfaraz has been included in the Mumbai team for the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy one-dayers in the West Zone league. He is set to leave today morning for Rajkot where the tournament is being played.

“It is a welcome gift for me. It was always my dream to represent Mumbai at senior level and I am thrilled to get this news soon after arriving from the World Cup. I couldn’t have asked for a better gift,” Sarfaraz told mid-day.

Warm welcome
There were quite a few well-wishers of Sarfaraz, who had come to receive him at the airport along with his father-cum-coach Naushad Khan. Although India could not defend the World Cup, Sarfaraz was one of the shining stars of the tournament for his team. Sarfaraz, 16, who was the youngest member of the team, scored 211 runs in six matches at an average of 70.33 to become the second highest run-scorer for India. He grabbed the man-of-the-match award in his debut game against Pakistan, scoring 74 off 78 balls.

Regarding the defeat in the quarter-final to England, Sarfaraz said: “We lost some wickets early on. We did well to contain them but just lost it in the end. It was quite an emotional moment for everyone. Every member cried a lot in the dressing room. We were in no mood to play the next two matches, but somehow managed to do it.”

On the personal front, Sarfaraz was satisfied with his performance. “I tried to play my natural attacking game. Some wickets were quite tricky and required a different approach. Especially the wicket against Pakistan, where I tried to play an attacking game, despite losing our top order quickly. Because if I tried to just look to survive there I would have also got out. It was important to attack,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer and Akhil Herwadkar who were the other two Mumbai boys in the team would be coming on their own.

. Every member cried a lot after quarter-final loss: Sarfaraz Khan
. Sarfaraz’s mother, who normally stays home came to receive him

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