How Suryakumar Yadav persuaded Sarfaraz Khan’s father to travel to Rajkot for his son’s debut Test

As much as India’s Test cap No. 311 belongs to Sarfaraz Khan, after years of overcoming the odds – on and off the field, it does to Naushad Khan, his father-cum-coach. It was surreal for Naushad, and Romana Zahoor, Sarfaraz’s wife, to wipe their tears as former India captain Anil Kumble presented Sarfaraz with his prized blue cap at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on Thursday morning.

Had it not been for Suryakumar Yadav’s insistence, though, Naushad would not have been present on the sidelines to cherish the moment that he aspired ever since Sarfaraz was a little kid.

With Romana having travelled with Sarfaraz to Rajkot, Naushad was planning to look after his health and help Musheer Khan, his younger son, prepare for Mumbai’s next C.K. Nayudu Trophy match. But on Wednesday, moments after Sarfaraz informed the family about his expected debut for the third Test, Suryakumar sent a voice-note to Naushad.

“When my family was around when I received the Test cap last year in Nagpur, it was a surreal moment for all of us. You have to be there,” Suryakumar said in his voice-note.

“That forced me to alter the plans and we tried to see if all of us can come down. Due to limited flight connectivity to Rajkot, we could get only one plane ticket, but after watching the dream of the family coming true, I feel it was worth coming down at the last minute,” Naushad said.

Having himself gone through a prolonged wait for an India call-up, albeit in a different format, Suryakumar has been backing Sarfaraz ever since the maverick batter was recalled into Mumbai’s side in 2019-20.

Sarfaraz has often stated how he and Musheer “have been living our father’s dream of playing for India”. Despite getting emotional on the maiden cap, Naushad has set the next target for his ward. “It’s just the beginning, there is a long way to go,” Naushad said.