Musheer Khan playing a shot during the third day of the Ranji Trophy final match between Mumbai and Vidarbha, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai,
Credit: PTI Photo
Naushad Khan, a strict father and dedicated cricket coach, saw one of his lifelong dreams come true during India's third test against England. It was there that his eldest son, Sarfaraz Khan, received his first national team cap.
As a coach, who had nurtured his sons among other cricketers, Khan had waited patiently for a long time to witness Sarfaraz's hard work finally pay off.
But coach Khan might not have to wait much longer to see his youngest play for the 'Men in Blue' too.
Musheer, Sarfaraz’s youngest brother, just scored a magnificent 136 off 326 balls for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy finals, setting up a mountainous target of 538 for Vidarbha after batting for an astounding 8 hours. The youngest Khan, through this ton, broke Sachin Tendulkar’s 29-year-old record to become the youngest player to score a century in the Ranji finals.
Born in 2005, Musheer was nurtured as an all-rounder by his father, who put him and his brother through grueling hours of training. In late 2022, when Musheer made his debut for Mumbai, Sarfaraz confidently told his teammates that whatever they could do, Musheer could do better.
In recent months, Musheer has left a lasting impression on the cricket community, proving that his brother's words hold true.
As Sarfaraz earned his Indian cap against England for his remarkable first-class record, Musheer stepped up in the Mumbai Ranji set-up, ensuring the team didn't miss his brother's presence.
Following his outstanding performances at the ICC Under-19 World Cup, where he scored 360 runs with 2 centuries and a fifty, and also picked 7 wickets, Musheer became an integral part of the Mumbai team.
His contributions led Mumbai to the Ranji finals, where they aim to win their 42nd title. In the three matches that he has played for Mumbai, post the international tournament in South Africa, he has scored a double century in the quarter finals, a fifty in the semi-finals, and now a fine hundred in the second innings of the finals. He's accumulated 387 runs in 8 innings for Mumbai.
At the end of day’s play on Tuesday, the young gun told reporters that he spotted Sachin while he was batting and gained extra motivation to perform and impress the Indian batting legend.
His proud brother shared different posts and stories on Instagram that spoke about Musheer's record, including Indian batsman Surya Kumar Yadav's story that said "Hard work Emotions (Tiger) Bhooka hai" (Tiger's hungry (for runs).
With Musheer's rapid growth, IPL teams will surely have marked him as a potential injury replacement player. At this rate, it won't be long before he plays for the senior national team too.
Perhaps then coach Khan will see another dream fulfilled — the one where both his sons proudly don the Indian blue.