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How Suryakumar yadav ensured Naushad was at stadium to watch son Sarfaraz Khan's India debut

Naushad Khan had no plans to travel to Rajkot to watch son Sarfaraz Khan's India debut, but it changed after a message from Suryakumar Yadav.

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FirstCricket Staff|Feb 16, 2024, 10:39:21 IST

Naushad Khan was in tears standing behind his son Sarfaraz Khan was handed his India debut cap by the legendary Anil Kumble on Thursday morning ahead of the third India-England Test at the Saurashtra Cricket Stadium in Rajkot. It was an emotional moment for a proud dad who had worked very hard to see his son graduate to the national team, but Naushad had initially planned not be there at the ground on the day of Sarfaraz's debut.

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Naushad didn't want to be at the Rajkot stadium as it would put pressure on his son, but everything changed after a message from India cricketer Suryakumar Yadav, who is also Sarfaraz's Mumbai teammate.

"Initially, I thought I wouldn't come as that would put Sarfaraz in some kind of pressure, and apart from that I also had a bit of a cold. But Surya's message almost made me melt," he revealed.

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Naushad also shared the message the T20 start batter and Mumbai Indians cricketer sent him.

"I do understand your emotions. But trust me, when I made my Test debut (last year in March against Australia in Nagpur) and was receiving my Test cap, my father and mother were just behind. And that moment was something beyond special. These moments don't come too often. So I would suggest that you must go," Suryakumar's message read.

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Sarfaraz Khan First Impressions: Solid technique and brave batting

This changed everything for Naushad who quickly made travel arrangements and landed in Rajkot just in time.

"After this message from Surya, I couldn't stop myself from coming. Just took a pill and came here yesterday," he said.

Sarfaraz, who had to wait for quite some time for his India debut, had a memorable first day in the office, scoring 62 off 66 balls. He looked impressive with his shot selections and was only dismissed as a result of a mix up with Ravindra Jadeja that led to the Mumbaikar's run out dismissal.

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First Published:Feb 16, 2024, 10:39:21 IST
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