Sarfaraz Khan, a right-handed middle-order batsman and leg-break bowler, was born on October 27, 1997, in Mumbai, India. He is perhaps the most well-known uncapped young phenomenon in the country, having gained popularity during his IPL stint with RCB.
Career
Domestic career
Sarfaraz Khan rose to fame after smashing Sachin Tendulkar’s 45-year-old record of 439 off 421 balls in a Harris Shield contest. In 2009, when he was just 12 years old, he played in his first Harris Shield game.
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2014, Sarfaraz made his List-A debut against Saurashtra. In a tight contest, his unbeaten 17 off 15 balls led the team to victory. He made his first-class cricket debut against Bengal in the Ranji Trophy 2014 a few months back. He struggled to succeed, earning just a one-point ranking.
Sarfraz joined the Uttar Pradesh Cricket team for the Ranji Trophy at his father’s invitation. However, the middle-order batsman only played in eight Ranji games for UP during his three seasons with the team, making it a forgettable experience. He had only played 11 first-class matches by September 2019, scoring 535 runs with the top score of 155. He’d also appeared in 12 List A matches, scoring 257 runs at a strike rate of 96.25 percent.
Sarfaraz could not have asked for a better chance than a match against UP to score his first century, which he later converted into a maiden triple-century, after returning to Mumbai at the start of last season to fulfil the necessary one-year cooling-off time.
U-19 Career
Sarfraz Khan was named to the U-19 World Cup squad in 2014, where India finished fifth in the standings, after a series of outstanding domestic results. He had a strike rate of 105.5 and scored 211 runs in six games, including two fifties at an average of 70.33. Sarfaraz Khan, who is still in the requisite age group to represent India in cricket, also competed in the 2016 edition of the U-19 World Cup. Sarfaraz ended the tournament as the second-highest run scorer. He had 355 runs in six innings, five of which were over 50 runs, for an average of 71. He holds the record for the most number of fifties in World Cups at the Under-19 level (7 fifties across two World Cups).
IPL Career
The scathing criticism Sarfaraz Khan was the youngest player to be selected by a franchise in the 2015 IPL Auction, and he spent four seasons with Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he made a name for himself with his unusual batting style. With his undefeated 45 off 21 Rajasthan Royals, he rose to glory. RCB captain Virat Kohli bowed in front of the 17-year-old while heading back to the dressing room after the innings – an incredible moment.
After being dropped by RCB, the Mumbai-born batsman was picked up by Kings Xi Punjab (KXIP) at the player auctions prior to the IPL 2019 season for INR 25 lakhs and was retained for the 2020 season. In 2019, he appeared in eight games and batted 180 times. Sarfaraz is a skilled player who has the potential to land the one major hit that catapults him to stardom.
Sarfaraz, who is still just 22, has played against opposition on pitches all over the world as a result of his participation in the IPL. If all falls into line, he may have a breakthrough season in 2020.
Background
Born and raised in Mumbai’s suburbs, the youngster was coached by his father, Naushad Khan, who was himself a well-known cricketer in Mumbai at the time and was responsible for spotting talents like Iqbal Abdullah and Kamran Khan. His father is a strict disciplinarian.