Visakhapatnam: The mountain of runs that he scored in domestic circuit might have opened the doors of Indian cricket to him, but for Sarfaraz Khan the learning never stops as he aspires to join the league of legends like Virat Kohli, Viv Richards and Javed Miandad.
Sarfaraz has been recently drafted into the India squad for the second Test against England starting here from Friday after KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were ruled out due to injuries.
The prolific Mumbai batter turned into a fan-boy while discussing his learning process.
“I like to watch Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Sir Vivian Richards, and even Javed Miandad because my dad has told me that I play like him. I watch Joe Root’s batting also.
“Anyone who is succeeding, I am watching them to see how they are doing it so I can learn and apply it. I want to continue doing this, whether it’s in the Ranji Trophy or playing for India in the future,” Sarfaraz told JioCinema.
But then there is a real-life hero for Sarfaraz -- his father Naushad Ahmed -- who dedicated countless hours to make his son a cricketer.
“My father introduced me to cricket, and I always wondered why am I even playing. I am an attacking batsman and I used to get out sooner than others and scoring big runs was getting difficult.
“It was disheartening to see others succeed while I wouldn’t be among the runs. But my dad always believed in hard work, and everything I have is a result of that work,” said Sarfaraz.
In the 2015-2016 domestic season, Sarfaraz opted to play for Uttar Pradesh after he ran into trouble with Mumbai selectors during an under-19 game.
Sarfaraz said his dad would travel to UP or wherever the team played to watch him bat.
“Even when I moved from Mumbai to UP, he would take flights to come and see me. He would start bowling to me on the terrace or the road itself before selection trials.
“Now I realise the impact and importance of those efforts,” he added.