Lucknow: Scoring big runs has never been a problem for Sarfaraz Khan. Right from the time he broke the record for the highest score in Harris Shield Inter-School Tournament with a 439-run knock for Rizvi Springfield at the age of 12, Sarfaraz has regularly shown his insatiable appetite for runs. His unbeaten 222 on Day 3 of the Irani Cup on Thursday though felt different to the 26-year-old.

It has been an emotional few days for Sarfaraz, especially after the road accident involving his younger brother Musheer Khan last week that forced him to miss the Irani Cup.

“Yes, it has been an emotional week for me. I had promised my family and teammates that if I am set, I will score 200 — a hundred for me and hundred for my brother (Musheer),” Sarfaraz said at the end of day’s play. “If he (Musheer) had played in the match, abbu (father) would have been prouder. Unfortunately, he met with an accident. So, I thought I must somehow score a double ton in this match.”

Sarfaraz added that he spoke to Musheer about his well-being and recovery after the close of play. “Yeah, I spoke with him. He is fine but will take two-three months to recover,” said Sarfaraz, who last hit a half-century against England in Dharamsala Test this March.

On his innings and hunger for big scores, Sarfaraz said that he is known for playing hefty knocks and he feels happy to score big. “I’m known to play big knocks. I feel good doing things I’m known for. Mumbai also needed me to bat long,” he said, adding, “It’s a big opportunity for us to win the Irani Cup after a long time. Back of the mind, I thought of playing as long as possible, putting as many runs on the board as possible which will help the team win.”

“I have played in the Irani Cup earlier and scored a century for the Rest of India. But this is a very emotional innings for me as I’m playing for my home team. I am putting an extra effort so that Mumbai can lift the Cup.”

“If you look at it, weather was obviously a challenge. We are up against some of best players in India right now. Most of them have played international cricket. I was looking to make runs against them. It was an opportunity to give my best. I am satisfied with the time I spent in the middle.”

“The whole bunch has put in lot of effort to reach the Irani Cup by winning the Ranji Trophy last season. It’s not like our team can’t win this tournament). In fact, we are one of the best teams in India. So, we hope to do well and win it,” he added.

He, however, said that Shardul Thakur’s absence on Thursday due to fever made a difference to the side. “If we had three fast bowlers, it could have been better, but he (Shardul) wasn’t well. Tomorrow is a more important day for us, especially the morning one with Shardul back. The focus will be to play well in the first session tomorrow,” Sarfaraz said.

Speaking about the changes in his off-season preparations, especially after making his India debut, the 26-year-old said, “Off-season preparation has been the same...focussing on fitness at my hometown (Azamgarh). The hard work I’ve put in can been seen on the ground. For three days, in such heat, I’ve been on the ground while batting or fielding. I will look to improve further.”

Sarfaraz, who was part of the Indian squad for the two-Test home series against Bangladesh recently, said that the series was a good time to learn from the seniors in the Indian team. “I try to learn as much as I can from the India seniors. Whenever I get an opportunity to play, the focus is on doing well.”

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