Jaipur witnessed a batting masterclass on Wednesday as Mumbai's Sarfaraz Khan answered his critics with a thunderous century, single-handedly dismantling Goa's bowling attack in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. His explosive knock of 157 runs from just 75 deliveries was the cornerstone of Mumbai's colossal total of 444 for 8, which paved the way for a commanding 87-run victory at the Jaipuria Vidyalaya Ground.
A Statement Innings Silences the Noise
For months, Sarfaraz Khan had been grappling with whispers about missed opportunities and a career that seemed to be stuttering. All that chatter was emphatically put to rest with what can only be described as a sledgehammer of an innings. Coming in at number four, he unleashed a furious assault, hammering nine boundaries and an astonishing 14 sixes to reach his century in a mere 56 balls. The onslaught left the Goa bowlers and fielders utterly shell-shocked and effectively decided the contest by the innings break.
Mumbai's Batting Powerhouse on Full Display
While all eyes were on returning star Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made 46 after recovering from acute gastroenteritis, it was Sarfaraz who stole the show. However, he did not act alone. The platform was set by his younger brother, Musheer Khan, who crafted a fluent 60, ensuring the scoreboard kept ticking over after the openers navigated a tricky first hour. Hardik Tamore also contributed a valuable half-century (53). Sarfaraz acknowledged the role of the partnership, stating his plan was to settle in first on a pitch that was doing a bit early on and then launch an attack as conditions eased.
"By the time I came to the crease, Musheer was batting really well," Sarfaraz told The Times of India. "I've played plenty of one-dayers and I know how to pace an innings. I have a good sweep and cut, and in this format you can't have more than five fielders out. That gives me the freedom to play my shots." Despite the dream knock, he expressed one regret: not being able to score a century in the same match as his brother, a shared dream that has narrowly eluded them on multiple occasions.
Goa's Valiant Chase Falls Short
Facing a mammoth target of 445, Goa showed tremendous fight but the mountain was simply too high to climb. They battled hard to post 357 for 9 in their 50 overs, led by a superb century from Abhinav Tejrana (100). Valuable contributions came from Deepraj Gaonkar (70) and Lalit Yadav (64). However, Mumbai's bowlers, led by Shardul Thakur's impressive 3 for 20, kept taking wickets at regular intervals to ensure the chase never truly threatened. The result ended Goa's three-match winning streak and solidified Mumbai's position at the top of the Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group C table with their fourth consecutive victory.
The brief scores from the match were: Mumbai 444/8 in 50 overs (Sarfaraz Khan 157, Musheer Khan 60, Hardik Tamore 53; Darshan Misal 3/98) beat Goa 357/9 in 50 overs (Abhinav Tejrana 100, Deepraj Gaonkar 70, Lalit Yadav 64; Shardul Thakur 3/20) by 87 runs.
