I've dreamt of this day since childhood: Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz proves he is no longer an afterthought or a replacement but a worthy contender in his own right for a more stable Test berthBENGALURU: There weren't many takers for his unconventional batting style. He was often body-shamed for his stocky build. He silenced his critics by burying them under an avalanche of runs. Yet, given India's batting riches, Sarfaraz Khan had to wait until Feb this year to earn the white flannels.

Three Tests, 200 runs at an average of 50 and an unbeaten double century for Mumbai in the

Irani Cup

recently did not seal his place in the playing XI.It was instead a neck injury to Shubman Gill that handed the 26-year-old another opportunity. For almost five hours over two days, it felt like Sarfaraz's bat was saying, "Stop me if you can." The Black Caps pulled every trick out of the bag but failed to stop the

Mumbaikar

until the seam of the second new ball did him in.

A child prodigy whose international career bloomed late, it is hard to compartmentalise the 26-year-old's game. He is often unconventional but extremely effective.Sarfaraz brought up his maiden ton with a backfoot punch off Tim Southee. He immediately launched into an animated yet emotional celebration. It was an innings that will be remembered for ages for the circumstances and the extreme pressure under which he came out to bat.

"The innings felt good since it was my maiden century playing for India. I'm very happy because I've dreamt of this day since childhood," said an elated Sarfaraz. For someone who has dealt with disappointment from a young age, the composure in Sarfaraz is refreshing. Asked about handling disappointments, he said, "I just keep following the same process."

"I've been scoring runs for the last four to five years. I focus on the things under my control, do well in training and try to overcome the shortcomings. Also, I talk to my father often and he keeps me motivated."Sarfaraz said that the match is far from over. "It isn't an easy wicket to bat on. I don't think the game is out of our hands yet. The ball is still cutting in and out. If we manage to get two to three wickets early on, they could be in trouble."

The highlight of the day was the partnership Sarfaraz had with Rishabh Pant, his teammate from India U-19 days."We were planning on playing attacking cricket. During the

Duleep Trophy

recently, we had a similar scenario where we had to counter-attack in the second innings. We followed the same thought process here as well," Sarfaraz said.