Mumbai selectors on Monday included Sarfaraz Khan and his 18-year-old brother Musheer in the Ranji Trophy squad for the upcoming knockout matches, and their father and coach Naushad Khan reckoned it’s just the start, especially for his younger son.
The brothers will be part of the Prithvi Shaw-led 17-member squad that will take on Uttarakhand in Bengaluru from June 4-8.
Middle-order batsman Sarfaraz, 24, who recently performed for Delhi Capitals in the IPL, had played notable innings during the 2021-22 season, which included a stroke-filled 275 against defending champions Saurashtra to propel the 41-time champions into the quarter-finals.
Musheer, an opening batsman and left-arm spinner, has done well for Mumbai in the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy scoring 670 runs in nine games at an average of 67. He scored two hundreds and five fifties.
Asked if he spoke to Musheer regarding the selection, Naushad revealed he had a strong conversation with his son.
“I told him [Musheer] not to get too excited. He has just been called up. He now has to put in the hard work and prove to the team management that he deserves a place in the squad and then perform to the best of his abilities once he is in the playing XI,” Naushad told The Free Press Journal.
“They have been putting in the hard work and now it is paying dividends. Musheer has been playing well for the U-19 team and Sarfaraz has been in good touch. So I was expecting a call-up,” Naushad added.
Meanwhile, Sarfaraz, who has been Mumbai's mainstay for the last couple of seasons, is on the fringes of being included in the India squad, but Naushad is not losing sleep over it.
“When the selectors feel Sarfaraz is ready, they will call him. We can only train and perform. Like it happened with Musheer, he performed and he got the call. So when the time comes, Sarfaraz will be wearing an India jersey,” Naushad concluded.
