Musheer following in Sarfaraz's footsteps

Bengaluru: Less than a month before the government of India issued a nationwide lockdown due to Covid-19 in 2020, Sarfaraz Khan was at his vulnerable best in an interview with DH. 

Naushad Khan, his father, was the one who had organised the interaction in the aftermath of his eldest son’s epic first-class season so he listened in. So, while ‘abbu’ stretched out in the background, Sarfaraz spoke of his father’s influence in his journey, and how the youngest in the family is just as influenced by this larger-than-life figure.

Musheer Khan’s name was doing the rounds on social media at the time, but not many outside of the family knew what the boy was capable of. Perhaps that’s better than Moin Khan, the second son who is the designated throw-down specialist at home. Fame isn't in Moin's fate. It is for Musheer though. 

In fact, when Sarfaraz said ‘I genuinely think he’s more talented than me’ during that interview over four years ago, it felt like the usual statement an elder brother would lend the youngest of the household - a confidence builder.  

Yeah, Sarfaraz was being pithy. Musheer is all that Sarfaraz alluded to, and all that he couldn’t with his father insisting he stick to talking about himself.

On Sunday night, Naushad was stretched out after ‘iftar’. This time, Musheer was on call. He was tense. ‘Abbu’ told him to relax and Musheer broke the trance.

“…I am more worried about performances because I don’t want to let 'abbu' down,” says Musheer, still fidgeting, trying to find edges on a round table. “I rarely feel pressure about the game and selection and situations and others. It’s always about how to not let 'abbu' down. I also know that if I don’t do well, I will get an earful.”

“I know why he’s doing it, and I know it’s good for me, but it’s not easy because he is more a coach than a father,” he adds while his eyes point down. “He is 'abbu' only sometimes, but I know I need him more as a coach now than ever before.”

Naushad’s cult of five, including wife Tabussam Khan, have had to agree to every idea he has come up with so far. Had it backfired, his ways could well have been pulled up, but how do you argue with someone who has provided the country with a Test cricketer, and is potentially going to give the national side another? 

You can’t. 

Even as Sarfaraz made his Test debut for India against England, Musheer was raising his stocks on the domestic circuit. After a fine South African sojourn, including the Under-19 World Cup, he returned to India to join the Mumbai team for the Ranji Trophy knockouts.

“I didn’t have a good season last year so I had to do something this year,” he says. “I was worried that was I going to be left out this season because of that, but 'abbu' kept telling me to focus on my game and not care about selection. Once I understood that, I kept scoring and taking wickets.”

Musheer got to play only three games for Mumbai this season - quarterfinals, semifinals and the finals. In them, he scored 433 runs, including an epic 136 in the second innings of the final against Vidarbha. He even picked up 5 wickets, including a crucial one of Karun Nair in the second innings. 

Mumbai won their 42nd title. ‘Abbu’ looked happy on screen, but turns out, he had some notes for Musheer. They got to work on it the next day. 

“My father used to take me to play against much older boys and men when I was only eight. I stopped being afraid of cricket then. Also, 'abbu' was always at the other end telling me to focus. He used to open and I was the non-striker, and then I started to open and he became the non-striker. That feels like my biggest achievement,” he says. 

Naushad closes in on the screen and says: “The boy is very good. He has earned everything that has come so far, but this is where the journey begins. You can’t play Test cricket for India without work.”

‘Abbu’ slips back and tells Musheer to continue. He’s fidgety again. “My family is everything. They have done so much for me and my brother. The least we can do is make them proud and play cricket the right way,” he says, turning towards ‘abbu’ for approval. 

Naushad nods. Musheer smiles. It’s one of relief.