The 91st edition of the Ranji Trophy has officially begun, with 38 first-class teams battling it out across the nation. Well, the start hasn’t been fruitful for some. Sarfaraz Khan and Prithvi Shaw, two best friends who are currently out of contention for the Indian team, endured unwanted starts. But was it truly Sarfaraz or his brother Musheer Khan?
Prithvi Shaw’s worst debut for Maharashtra
Prithvi Shaw sought a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Mumbai Cricket Association (NOC) and joined state rivals Maharashtra earlier this year. His case i an intriguing one, as Shaw rose to the scene with immense hype after he took India to a famous Under-19 ODI World Cup win in 2018. However, unlike Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag, who were also part of that Under-19 team, Shaw’s international career never took off.
Despite scoring a century on his Test debut, Shaw fell out of favour. On a domestic level, he was dropped from Mumbai’s team multiple times, with question marks rising over his behaviour, fitness and form. Now, he eyes a restart in Maharashtra. He even hammered a sensational century in a practice game against Mumbai. However, the start hasn’t been what he hoped for, scoring a duck on his debut for the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side.
Shaw was undone by an incoming delivery by Kerala’s MD Nidheesh, who wreaked havoc in the first hour. Shaw scored a four-ball duck. In fact, Maharashtra were left stunned as they lost four wickets for five runs inside the first four overs. Nedumankuzhy Basil also took two wickets.
Goof up in Mumbai vs J&K
Across the country, all eyes were on Sarfaraz Khan, who was making his return to competitive cricket after recovering from a quadriceps injury. The 27-year-old had missed a chunk of the domestic calendar, including the Duleep Trophy, Irani Cup, and India A matches. His absence had left a hole in Mumbai’s middle order, and his comeback was eagerly awaited.
However, confusion reigned when the official scorecard initially listed “Sarfaraz Khan” as dismissed for a duck. It was later clarified that the player dismissed was his younger brother, Musheer, who had opened the batting. Sarfaraz is slated to bat at No. 5.
The incident aside, his return is a big boost for Mumbai. Having completed rehab at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, Sarfaraz is said to be fully fit and raring to go. He had been in excellent touch before the injury, scoring twin centuries in the Buchi Babu Tournament and a gritty 92 for India A earlier in the summer.
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