India’s domestic stalwart Sarfaraz Khan did not bother the scorers on Day 1 of the Duleep Trophy match for India A, but still, he was happy for his brother and teammate, Musheer, who smashed a solid hundred in Bengaluru. The duo were playing for Abhimanyu Easwaran-led India B where Musheer Khan hammered a hundred in his debut in the Duleep Trophy. Musheer collected more than 50 percent of the team’s total when he got to the three-figure score in 205 deliveries at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday, September 5.
Sarfaraz who was in the changing room, started the celebrations, giving his younger brother a standing ovation. The whole of the support staff of India B stood up on its feet, acknowledging a brilliant century from Musheer. The 19-year-old got his third first-class century.
The big names like Sarfaraz scored only 9 while Rishabh Pant collected 7 runs. Star batter Yashasvi Jaiswal was the top scorer with 30 as India A pacers, led by Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, and Khaleel Ahmed, attacked the first two sessions.
The iconic tournament was being closely assessed by Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee ahead of a busy Test calendar where India will take part in 10 matches in the longest format of the game. Musheer Khan has been known for playing big innings as he smashed a century in the Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha in March after he got a double hundred in the quarter-final against Vidarbha.
Earlier, during the 2024 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, Musheer Khan came out as one of the top batters. He made 360 runs in seven matches including a hundred against New Zealand and Ireland. The Mumbai-based batter ended as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament. He also scalped seven wickets at an economy rate of under four runs per over, displaying his all-round skills.