Out of contention, India's middle-order player Sarfaraz Khan will kick-start the domestic season by featuring in Mumbai's popular Kanga League. The tournament is played during the monsoons and has a fair share of history attached to it. Over the years, the league has featured Mumbai's icons like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, & and many more names to emerge from the financial capital of India.
Sarfaraz, who is eager to stake a claim back in the Indian team, is aiming to perform well in the upcoming edition of the Kanga League. The batter also recollects fond stories his father used to share about the famous league & its players.
"During my childhood, I heard many stories from my father (Naushad Khan) about how Sunil Gavaskar sir once turned up for Kanga League match despite returning from England the same morning," Sarfaraz told Mid-day.
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"So Musheer (my younger brother) and I have always taken pride in playing this tournament. While returning from Nagpur last evening (Saturday), we were hoping it wouldn't rain today.
It rained a bit this morning, but when I reached Islam Gymkhana, the weather was good. I played my last Kanga League match three years ago. I was going through the League fixture book before this game and saw my name in it scoring a century in 2018, and it felt nice."
Sarfaraz Khan opens up about why all Mumbai cricketers should play the Kanga League
Sarfaraz further went to explain why all Mumbai players should play Kanga League, explaining how it will inspire the coming younger generation to keep playing the League, & the rich history it carries.
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"All Mumbai players should play the Kanga League. Some players feel that if they fail here, it will be bad for their future. "But if Gavaskar Sir & Sachin Tendulkar Sir thought the same way, they might not have gone on to become legends. If big players participate in this tournament, it will be an inspiration for the city's youngsters. Kanga League is such a tournament that if you succeed, you can score runs anywhere in the world."
Sarfaraz has played six Tests, scoring 371 runs at an average of 37.1. He was part of the Australia Test series Down Under, but failed to get into the playing XI. The 27-year-old was not part of the England Test series. With the upcoming domestic season, the Mumbai batter will be aiming to be back in the Test team.
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