As he embarks on an emotional rollercoaster with his maiden Test match, Sarfaraz Khan fulfills his father’s desire

In the 2018 Hindi film “Laila Majnu,” events cause Qais (Majnu) to split up with Laila; they are now scheduled to reunite after four years. “Laila phoned and said she wanted to see you; milna chahti hai aap se, miloge? Will you?)” inquires his pal. “Laila.” With nervous anticipation, he flushes and hides his face with his hands. Adjusts his hair, giving them one more stroke, then turns around. His Laila is crying there. When Qais first looks at her, he simply collapses to his knees. His eyes slowly close as if he is about to fall asleep, and he struggles to speak, only letting out the word “La-ila.” The weight of having to wait four years to see her once seemed to be too much for him to bear.

He was so overcome by the agony of the wait that he would not have cared if Laila had been replaced by another woman that day. He was infatuated with the concept of love, had conjured up a mental image of Laila, and was unable to distinguish between the two. All he was happy to see was someone named Laila. Qais was already terrified of seeing her face-to-face, so the first thing that occurred when he saw her for real was the intensity of his feelings. After four years of waiting for that moment, Qais’s spirit almost abandoned him because he was unsure of how to respond. There was nothing more he could have done, nothing more he knew how to manage it.
You may be wondering how Sarfaraz Khan is being celebrated by Laila Majnu and Qais. However, you can’t help but think of a cinematic analogy when 326 runs are made on a day in a Test match that has hard-fought cricket from both sides on show, and a few moments of raw, uncontrolled, and pure emotions stand out.

For Naushad and his son Sarfaraz, it was a dream they both shared. Since he first learned how to wield a bat, his father has served as his coach, teacher, mentor, and support system. It’s no laughing matter when you average 122, 154, and 92 in three straight Ranji Trophy seasons. Despite the ongoing discussion over the tournament’s quality, it remains the highest level of domestic cricket in India. However, the Mumbai batsman who had previously played for Uttar Pradesh thought that the coveted Test call-up remained unattainable.

His delayed entry into the Test squad might be attributed to a number of factors, including Sarfaraz’s insignificant IPL returns, his lack of fitness, or selectors’ lack of courage to press the transition button early. As they say, “failure makes you stronger.” In this case, the failure was the ongoing rejection. There was no mention of Sarfaraz among those 15–16 names for any of the series—including the Bangladesh series, the home series against Australia, the West Indies trip, and even the early England series despite Virat Kohli’s absence.

At the press conference, Sarfaraz said he felt many kilos lighter since he had finally achieved his father’s ambition of getting the India cap, which he shared with his younger brother Musheer. This is what coming from a modest background does to you: every success seems group-wide, and every setback seems intimate. There are no bad people in this story, no need for ifs and buts, and no one was placed at fault. Instead, there is just gratitude for what God has provided and relief that he was able to work so hard so that his father could see him realize a goal he had seen.

The feelings also revealed a sense of gratitude. The comparison was made to that scene from Laila Majnu because, like Qais, the Khans were consumed by a single fantasy, and when that dream came true, they were unable to rejoice or know how to respond; instead, tears fell freely. Naushad was standing on the side, supporting his son enthusiastically, as Anil Kumble gave Sarfaraz his hat.

Donning a “Cricket is everyone’s game” hoodie, Naushad represented a number of values there: that you need support from others; he may not have had it in his own time, so he made sure he would work day and night to give his sons the best platform to succeed; that a parent will go to war if necessary in order to provide for their child; and that one should never give up on their dreams despite countless social and personal obstacles because, even if it takes time, something extraordinary may be in store.
When Sarfaraz Khan finally received the coveted India Test cap, he gave his father a hug.
Naushad, looking like a proud father with his back bent, began to cry for the first time as he saw Sarfaraz receiving Baggy Blue. Subsequently, he broke down again as the gravity of the situation struck him. He wiped his tears and dried his eyes, forcing himself to put on a brave front. He had no idea, however, that they were about to turn their backs on him once again. Perhaps because these tears were pleasant tears that flowed wherever they pleased, he was done struggling with them this time.

Following the hat presentation, Sarfaraz approached his father, removed the cap, and let him to experience it firsthand. That gesture said, “This is what we were working our tails off for all these years.” Naushad kissed the hat because he was unable to contain himself. Then there was Sarfaraz’s wife, calmly standing behind Naushad, taking in all of this, which must have been both unfamiliar and overwhelming for her at the same time. Within those few minutes, she also had a glimpse of all those years and why it mattered so much to the Khan family that behind the headscarf, watery eyes were waiting for Sarfaraz to wipe them off and feel the Test cap, which was, for all of them, no less than a priceless treasure.

In Rajkot, Sarfaraz Khan has poignant moments with his spouse and father.
After four hours of waiting to bat, which Sarfaraz said was nothing compared to the years of patience and dedication, the emotions took a backseat as the important business got underway. Following a nervous spell, Sarfaraz was, as he put it, “in his zone,” able to play spinners through his areas, thread the gaps, and simply be himself. The innings began to take form slowly and gradually, and the 90-year-old set batsman Ravindra Jadeja was sidelined. Sarfaraz was unstoppable as he reached his fifty in his debut in only 48 balls, which is only tied for the second quickest time by an Indian in his first-ever game.

His quiet jubilation sent a stronger message than his previous angry and courageous cries during the Ranji Trophy, which were likely motivated only by disappointment at not being selected. Sarfaraz’s expression lit up as he raised his bat, relieved that he really belonged at this level. However, while continuing to struggle through tears, his father was in high spirits, grinned broadly, and encouraged Sarfaraz and his wife.

However, a disastrous mix-up ended all of this, leaving Sarfaraz unable to point the finger or rage at his senior partner and forcing him to abandon the game. Captain Rohit Sharma was more passionate than Sarfaraz and put on a show of his own in the changing area, when he was spotted yelling and tossing his hat. A few times after Sarfaraz was dismissed, the camera paned on to his unhappy expression, but his 62 (66) on a day when India was leading 33/3 was an excellent performance from a guy playing in his first-ever Test match.

As Sarfaraz said, he wasn’t really concerned about how he got out and was simply happy to have the hat. “Koi baat nahi, game hai, yeh sab chalta rehta hai,” (Occasionally, a little misunderstanding may occur; that’s just a part of the fun. These things keep happening—you run out of stuff sometimes and not others),” he would explain. Although it may seem corny, Sarfaraz’s mentality might help him succeed in his career, which could be brief but plenty of opportunities. He echoed what many batters before him had said after a mistake. Furthermore, as they say, a work well began is half done.