Eternal optimism, one Bollywood movie song and the shayaris kept the son of a cricket obsessed father going.
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.