Motivated by Sachin’s presence, elder brother Sarfaraz’s advice

Sachin Tendulkar watches the Ranji final at Wankhede Stadium yesterday. Pic/Atul Kamble

Mumbai batsman Musheer Khan saw stars on Tuesday… literally. Stars, not only in the form of Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer, who he batted with on the third day of the Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha. But also those who were watching him bat from the Mumbai Cricket Association Pavilion.

Among the former India stalwarts who witnessed the Musheer-fuelled Mumbai's dominant show, was Sachin Tendulkar.

"I didn't even know Sachin sir was here [at the Wankhede]. But when I was batting on 60, I saw him on the big screen and [then] I batted with the motivation of him watching today [Tuesday]. I have to show it [how I bat] to sir [I thought]," Musheer told reporters after the day's play.

Like his brother Sarfaraz did against Madhya Pradesh in the June 2022 Ranji Trophy final, Musheer scored a ton in the deciding clash of the national championships.

At 19, he became the youngest to score a century in a Ranji Trophy final. "It was a dream for me to score a century in the Ranji Trophy final.

"It is a matter of pride that I got to bat with two Test players. It became easier for me because everyone was trying to get Ajju da [Rahane] out," he remarked.

One-drop Musheer also had a 168-run partnership with No. 5 Shreyas Iyer, who scored 95. "We communicated well and [Iyer] bhai was insisting that we have to bat for a long period and take the game as far as we can," Musheer said.

Also Read: Tendulkar, Rohit's presence at Ranji Trophy final wins the internet

He played three first-class games last season, but was dropped from the team later. Musheer recalled how hard he worked under his dad and coach Naushad's guidance and how Sarfaraz motivated him to bounce back in the second innings of the ongoing game. "When I was dropped from the Ranji Trophy squad last year, I got to learn a lot about the [need to] work on my technique. I have done a lot of preparation with abbu [Naushad].

"Bhai [Sarfaraz] told me this is my opportunity because if you score in a final everyone will watch, and it will be good for me in the future. When I got out in the first innings [for six], he told me to stick to my game and try to bat the way I feel is right," Musheer explained.

19yrs
Teenager Musheer is the youngest centurion in a Ranji final