Sarfaraz Khan could not hold his tears back when the legendary Anil Kumble handed him his maiden Test cap, just before the start of the third Test between India and England Rajkot. Beside him was his wife, who too was overcome with emotions. Then he ran towards his father Naushad, the most influential figure of his life, and hugged him. “I will cry the whole day when I play for my country,” he had once told The Indian Express.
As the day progressed, he pushed some of the English bowlers to the verge of tears too, as his robust 62 off 66 balls, brutally cut short by a run out, played a big role in helping his country post 326 for five. Throughout his knock, he showed the daring, composure and will, virtues that showed he belongs to the Test level. The England bowlers tested him with everything they could—pace and seam bowling, spin of various hues and funky field placings—but he had an answer to every question they posed to him. Like he had an answer to every hurdle that he had to overcome to reach this far.
His is a fascinating tale of passion and persistence. For nearly 15 years, he would wake up every day at five so that he could reach Cross Maidan for practice at 6.30 a.m. He would spend hours honing his batting skills on the dusty pitches. On those days, he could not go, he, his brother Musheer, who was India’s second-highest run-getter in the U-19 World Cup, would practice on a special cricketing pitch Naushad had prepared just outside his home. Naushad would spend hours dishing out throw-downs, paying opposition teams to come play friendly games in which Sarfaraz would bat the whole innings regardless of whether the team lost or not.
Life was not easy for the Khans. Naushad, who once sold toffees and cucumbers in trains and also sold track pants after migrating from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh to supplement the meagre income he got a Class Four employee with the Western Railway, once told about what his son Sarfaraz had told him in the past. “We came from the slums, used to stand in queues for the toilet where my sons would be slapped and overtaken. We came from nothing and will go back to nothing. Sarfaraz told me one day, ‘Abbu so what if this (playing for India) doesn’t happen. We can always go back to selling track-pants.”
All those memories would have flashed across his mind when he waited for nearly four overs for his turn to bat. “I was padded for four hours but told myself that I have kept so much patience, time to keep more,” he would reveal in the press conference.
But when the moment to bat came, he showed no nerves. It was a dream come true for both the father as well as the son. “It was my dream to play for India in front of him. My father wasn’t coming to the ground initially. But some people requested him and he came to witness this special moment. I feel some burden is off my shoulders now that I haven’t let my father’s efforts go to waste,” Sarfaraz said after the day’s play. As it turned out, it was Sarfaraz’s Mumbai teammate Suryakumar Yadav who persuaded him to go to Rajkot.
His morning, though, began like any other morning, listening to the title track of the movie, Dangal, sung by Daler Mehendi and Pritam. The song speaks of struggle and inspirations, and he could relate to that. Sarfaraz’s struggles continued on the field too. He sweated to break the consistency code, and even when he did, he had to wait for his turn to come, despite three seasons of Bradmanesque numbers. He was picked in Indias squad to tour Bangladesh in December, 2022. But was dropped when the senior players returned. The word went around that he is not comfortable dealing with pace and bounce. An indifferent IPL didn’t aid his cause.
There were times when both the father and son seemed frustrated with the supposedly raw deal. But the shayari-loving Naushad would advise his son: “Rakh hausla woh manzar bhi aayega, pyaasey ke paas samundar bhi aayega” (keep the resolve, that sight will appear; the sea will come to the thirsty). There is another favourite line of his: ‘Thak kar na baith ae manzil ke musafir. Manzil bhi milegi aur milne ka mazaa bhi aayega’. (Don’t sit tired, oh traveller, you will not only reach your destination but also experience the joy and fun of getting there).
Every struggle now seems worth the struggle. If he can continue this fairytale, build on his dramatic start to the Test career, it’s his track pants and jerseys that would be sold like hot cakes in the markets all over the country. And more tears of joy would be shed on the field and in the Khan household.
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
