Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan has made history by scoring a double century against the Rest of India in the 2024 Irani Cup. He achieved this milestone on Day 2 of the prestigious final, held between the reigning Ranji Trophy champions, Mumbai, and ROI.
Coming in at number four after Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer had steadied the innings at 139 for four, Sarfaraz played a crucial role in stabilising the team. After Rahane adopted a defensive strategy, Sarfaraz counter-attacked, maintaining momentum against the Rest of India’s bowling attack. Despite the loss of Rahane and Shams Mulani in quick succession, Sarfaraz notched his 15th first-class century. His remarkable innings included a double century scored off 253 balls, with crucial support from Tanush Kotian as they guided Mumbai past 460 after starting at 280 for six. Sarfaraz, despite battling cramps, completed his double century in the final session.
With this feat, Sarfaraz becomes the first Mumbai batter to score a double century in Irani Cup history. The previous highest individual score for Mumbai in this tournament was 195, set by R.D. Parkar in 1972. Overall, Sarfaraz is the 11th player to achieve a double century in Irani Cup history, following Yashasvi Jaiswal, who last accomplished this in 2023.
Sarfaraz made his Test debut earlier this year against England, scored 62 runs in his first innings and remaining unbeaten on 68 in the second. Sarfaraz had lost his place in the middle order after KL Rahul's return to the Test squad. He was part of the Duleep Trophy 2024 squad ahead of the first Test match but was released from the Indian squad for the second and final Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur.
