He has been knocking at the door for long but he cannot be ignored now Sarfaraz Khan can do no wrong these days. India may have finished a poor fifth in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in the UAE, but the fortunes of the 16-year-old from Mumbai are heading north.
Mumbai: Sarfaraz Khan, the Under-19 cricketer who was among the leading run-scorers for India in the Junior World Cup in UAE, was on Friday included in Mumbai`s senior team, which is currently playing in the West Zone One-Day league in Rajkot.
Khan had amassed 211 runs in six games with two half centuries in the U-19 World Cup, where India finished fifth.
It’s been more than a quarter century since Sachin Tendulkar played for Mumbai at the age of 15. Khan may have to wait for a few months before making his first-class debut, but featuring in the Ranji one-dayers as a Std IX student is no joke either.
Khan is a bundle of energy. He may have been away from home for well over a month, but there was no chance of him giving up on the opportunity to play for Mumbai. “He is desperate to play,” MCA secretary Nitin Dalal said. “He landed around 8:00 pm today (Friday) and will fly to Rajkot at 5:00 am tomorrow (Saturday). The boy is full of energy. I hope the coach (Lalchand Rajput) gives him a chance,” Dalal added.
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) said in its press release that Sarfaraz has been included for the matches scheduled on March 2 and 3.
Khan was given a hero’s welcome at the airport. Later, he feasted on chicken biryani at his Kurla home. “Jashn ka mahaul hai (it’s a festival out here),” proud father Naushad said. Khan did reveal to his friends that he cried a lot after India lost to England in the quarterfinal. “But I am only 16. I have another chance. And I will make it count,” Khan told his friends.
http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report-sarfaraz-khan-on-fast-track-picked-for-mumbai-one-day-team-1965857