Latest news with #ParkophoneCricketers
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘If Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar thought the same way…': Sarfaraz Khan looking to follow Mumbai legends' footsteps in bid to make India return
Sarfaraz Khan's ommission from the Indian squad for their recently concluded five-Test series in England raised quite a few eyebrows. As the epic series unfolded, images of Sarfaraz appeared in which he was much leaner than before. Sarfaraz is now avoiding having a long break from cricket by playing in the Kanga League. Playing for the Parkophone Cricketers, Sarfaraz scored 61 off 42 balls against Islam Gymkhana. 'During my childhood, I heard a lot of stories from my father [coach Naushad Khan] about how Sunil Gavaskar sir once turned up for a Kanga League match despite returning from England the same morning,' Sarfaraz is quoted as saying by Mid-Day. 'So, [his younger brother] Musheer 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 for scoring a century in 2018 and it felt nice.' Sarfaraz said that all Mumbai players should be playing in the league. Named after Hormasji Kanga, who played in the early 20th century, the competition was inaugurated in 1948. The overcast conditions and moisture in the pitch that tends to be prevalent around the time of the year in Mumbai when the tournament is held makes it difficult for batters to score runs and international cricketers generally have tended to give it a miss. 'All Mumbai players should play [Kanga League]. Some players feel that if they fail here, it'll be bad for their future. But if Gavaskar sir and Sachin Tendulkar sir thought the same way, they might not have gone on to become legends. If big players play in this tournament, it will be an inspiration for the city's youngsters. Kanga League is such a tournament that if you succeed here, you can score runs anywhere in the world,' said Sarfaraz.
NDTV
13 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Sarfaraz Khan Sends Huge Statement Of Intent To BCCI: "If Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar..."
Ignored Indian cricket team batter Sarfaraz Khan believes that all Mumbai cricketers should play the Kanga League competition. Sarfaraz turned up for the tournament that is held during Mumbai's monsson season and said that cricketers should not skip it due to the fear of failure. Sarfaraz was ignored by the BCCI selectors for the five-match Test series against England but the youngster found himself in the headlines due to his stunning body transformation. Sarfaraz scored 61 off 42 deliveries while playing for Parkophone Cricketers during the match against Islam Gymkhana. It was a big statement of intent from the cricketer who is looking to regain his spot in the Indian cricket team and he namedropped Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar in his big message for Mumbai cricketers. 'I was so excited about this Kanga League match that the reporting time was 8.30am, but I reached at 8am only. More than being satisfied with my performance, I was delighted to be able to spend time in the middle. The pitch was not easy to bat on, and I even got hit on my helmet once. Also, there was a thick grass cover across the outfield so boundaries were hard to come by,' Sarfaraz told Mid-Day. "During my childhood, I heard a lot of stories from my father [coach Naushad Khan] about how Sunil Gavaskar sir once turned up for a Kanga League match despite returning from England the same morning. So, Musheer [younger brother] and I have always taken pride in playing this tournament. While returning from Nagpur last evening [Saturday], we were hoping it won'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 for scoring a century in 2018 and it felt nice,' Sarfaraz added. Sarfaraz will be one of the names who will be considered while picking the squad for the two-match Test series against 'All Mumbai players should play [Kanga League]. Some players feel that if they fail here, it'll be bad for their future. But if Gavaskar sir and Sachin Tendulkar sir thought the same way, they might not have gone on to become legends. If big players play in this tournament, it will be an inspiration for the city's youngsters. Kanga League is such a tournament that if you succeed here, you can score runs anywhere in the world,' he concluded.
