Sarfaraz Khan delivered a thunderous reminder of his white-ball credentials ahead of India’s upcoming ODI series against New Zealand, blasting a breathtaking 157 off just 75 balls for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy clash against Goa on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old was in devastating form, smashing 14 sixes and nine fours in an innings that completely dismantled the opposition as Mumbai inched closer towards knock-out with a 87-run victory in the Group C game in Jaipur.
Sarfaraz, who was in prime form during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as well, hit a 56-ball century, his third in List A as Mumbai posted an insurmountable 444 for 8 and then restricted Goa to 357 for 9.
This is Mumbai's fourth successive win in the group league stage and one more win out of the remaining three games will almost ensure a smooth passage into the quarterfinals.
On a day when Yashasvi Jaiswal (46) made his comeback after being laid low by gastritis during the opening week of the National One Day Championship, Sarfaraz owned the stage at the Jaipuria Vidyalaya ground where he made a mincemeat of the Goa attack.
As many as 10 out of his 14 sixes were hit of off-spinner Lalit Yadav (2/93 in 9 overs) and left-arm spinner Darshan Misal (3/98 in 9 overs). He hit Lalit for four sixes, while Misal was dispatched for half-a-dozen maximums.
Legendary Sachin Tendulkar's son Arjun was hammered for 78 runs in eight overs.
Sarfaraz’s knock was not just about brute force but timing and authority, underlining his consistency across domestic formats.
Coming at a crucial juncture, the innings served as a timely statement to the selectors, strengthening his case for inclusion in the New Zealand ODI series beginning January 11 and reinforcing his status as one of India’s most prolific domestic performers.
While Sarfaraz was dismissed in the 42nd over when he was looking good for his maiden double hundred in List A cricket, Mumbai didn't lose the tempo with more than 100 runs coming off the last 8 overs.
Musheer Khan (60 off 66 balls), wicketkeeper Hardik Tamore (53 off 28 balls), Shams Mulani (22 off 15 balls), Tanush Kotian (23 not out off 12 balls) and skipper Shardul Thakur (27 off eight balls) wielded the long handle to good effect as the winners hammered 35 fours and 25 sixes.
In reply, Goa were never in the chase but Lalit Yadav (64), Abhinav Tejrana (100) and Deepraj Gaonkar (70) did bat well during the middle overs but it was never going to be enough.
Skipper Shardul Thakur (3/20 in 6 overs) once again showed his wares on a flat deck, while Yashasvi Jaiswal, bowling his leg-breaks, got smashed for 52 in just 3 overs but got a couple of wickets in the bargain.
Brief scores:
Mumbai 444/8 in 50 overs (Sarfaraz Jhan 157, Musheer Khan 60, Yashasvi Jaiswal 46, Darshan Misal 3/98) beat Goa 357/9 in 50 overs (Abhinav Tejrana 100, Lalit Yadav 64, Shardul Thakur 3/20) by 87 runs.
Chattisgarh 355/3 (Vikalp Tiwari 112, Ayush Pandey 86, Amandeep Khare 83) beat Sikkim 126 in 34 overs (Gurinder Singh 47, Ajay Mandal 4/40, Dev Aditya Singh 4/25) by 229 runs.
Maharashtra 331/7 in 50 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 124, Satyajeet Bachhav 56, Ramakrishna Ghosh 47, DS Bora 3/81) beat Uttarkhand 202 in 43.4 overs (Sanskar Rawat 56, Satyajeet Bachhav 3/22) by 129 runs.
Himachal Pradesh 221 in 47.2 overs (Pukhraj Mann 76, SS Bajwa 4/17, Naman Dhir 2/28) lost to Punjab 223 for 4 in 36.1 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 84, Anmolpreet Singh 72, Naman Dhir 50 not out) by 7 wickets.
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