Sarfaraz Khan smashed a sensational 92-ball century on the opening day (August 18) of the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament, steering Mumbai to a strong position against TNCA XI.
Sarfaraz smashes Buchi Babu century in dominant display
Batting first, Mumbai lost their captain, Ayush Mhatre, cheaply for 13. His fellow opener, Musheer Khan, got settled but perished after scoring 30 off 75 balls. No.4 Harsh Aghav fell next, managing just 2, bringing Sarfaraz – Musheer’s elder brother – to the crease.
Sarfaraz batted in his typically breezy fashion, racing to a fifty off just 52 balls. He reached the milestone by clipping TNCA XI seamer Prem Kumar to the leg side for a boundary. His century came 40 balls later, this time celebrated with a ramped four over the keeper. Raising his bat, he acknowledged the applause from the dressing room.
Also read: Buchi Babu tournament 2025 Round 1, live updates: All scores and updates from day 1
After reaching three figures, Sarfaraz accelerated further, smashing 38 runs off just 22 balls. However, his innings was cut short due to a hamstring issue, which required medical attention and ultimately forced him to retire hurt. By then, he had already struck 10 fours and six sixes in a dominant display. At the time of writing, Mumbai are at 351-5.
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How has Sarfaraz fared in his Test career so far?
Sarfaraz, who boasts the fifth-highest first-class average (65.61) among batters with a minimum of 50 innings, earned his Test call-up for India during their 2024 home series against England. He made an immediate impact, scoring 62 and an unbeaten 68 on debut in Rajkot, followed by a 56 in the final Test at Dharamsala.
During the New Zealand series, he notched his maiden Test century (150) but struggled afterwards, managing just 11, 9, 0, and 1 in his next four innings as India suffered a 3-0 whitewash. The slump led to his ouster.
Also read: Explained: Why Sarfaraz Khan was dropped for India's Test tour of England
With a current Test average of 37.10 from six matches, Sarfaraz’s confidence would benefit greatly from this century ahead of the Duleep Trophy, which kicks off India’s upcoming domestic season. He is named in the 15-member West Zone squad to be led by Shardul Thakur.
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