Sarfaraz eyeing maiden Test call-up: What do his stats say?
On Thursday, Mumbai's Sarfaraz Khan brought up his eighth FC hundred during the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy final against Madhya Pradesh. The 24-year-old slammed 134 off 243 deliveries, hitting 13 fours and two sixes. According to TOI, Sarfaraz is well in reach of getting a maiden Test call-up for India's tour of Bangladesh in November. We look at his FC stats.
Leading run-scorer of Ranji Trophy 2021/22
Sarfaraz has been on a roll in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. He is the leading run-scorer, having slammed 937 runs from just eight innings at an astronomical average of 133.85. The tally includes four centuries and two fifties. His scores in the season read as 275 (401), 63 (110), 48 (72), 165 (181), 153 (205), 40 (52), 59* (100), and 134 (243).
Why does this story matter?
Sarfaraz has been India's run machine at the FC level. He has joined Ajay Sharma and Wasim Jaffer with players with over 900 runs in Ranji Trophy on two occasions. Sarfaraz is the first batter to have clocked 900-plus runs in successive seasons of Ranji Trophy, having scored 928 runs in 2019-20. He is a solid contender for India's Test set-up.
Sarfaraz knows the knack of scoring daddy hundreds
It is to note that Sarfaraz has converted seven of his eight FC centuries to a 150-plus score. A look at his eight three-figure scores: 134 vs Madhya Pradesh (2022), 153 vs Uttarakhand (2022), 165 v Odisha (2022), 275 vs Saurashtra (2022), 177 vs Madhya Pradesh (2020), 226* vs Himachal Pradesh (2020), 301* vs UP (2020), and 155 vs Madhya Pradesh (2015).
Second-highest batting average in FC cricket
As per ESPNcricinfo, Sarfaraz has the second-highest batting average in First-class cricket (82.83) among batters with a minimum of 2,000 runs. He is only behind Sir Donald Bradman, who amassed 28,067 runs at 95.14. Sarfaraz leaves behind India's Vijay Merchant on the list (71.64).
Third-highest batting average in Ranji Trophy
According to ESPNcricinfo, Sarfaraz now has the third-highest batting average in Ranji Trophy (minimum 2,000 runs). He averages a monstrous 82.76. Only Merchant (98.35) and Sachin Tendulkar (87.37) rank above him in this regard. Meanwhile, Rusi Mudi (81.7) and Rahul Dravid (81.23) trail the youngster.
Six 150-plus scores since 2020
Sarfaraz's insatiable thirst for runs is second to none. As per ESPNcricinfo, he has six scores of 150 and more in FC cricket since 2020, which is joint-most alongside ace England batter Joe Root. Overall, Sarfaraz has compiled a staggering 2,485 runs across 25 matches at the FC level. He has eight hundreds and seven fifties. He averages a phenomenal 82.83.
