Image Credit- PTI
Musheer Khan, a
batter from Mumbai, claimed that he “batted with motivation” on the
third day of the Ranji Trophy final because Sachin Tendulkar was present at the
Wankhede Stadium.
With a patient 136, Musheer, 19, nearly eliminated Vidarbha from the match.
Prior to this, he had scored 203 not out against Baroda in the quarterfinal and
an important 55 against Tamil Nadu in the semifinals.
“I did not even know that Sachin sir was here,” Musheer said.
“But when I was batting on 60, I saw on him on the big screen and
(thereon) I batted with the motivation that he is watching today and I have to
impress sir.”
In addition to
Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, the captain of India’s Test team, was also at the
ground. But in the midst, Musheer put up century stands with both Ajinkya
Rahane and Shreyas Iyer, two more seasoned players who offered insightful
counsel.
“I got to learn a lot during the partnerships,” Musheer said.
“It is a matter of pride for me that I got to bat with two Test players,
it becomes easier for me too. Everyone in their team was trying to get Ajju
dada (Ajinkya Rahane) out and it becomes easier for me.
“It was a dream for me to score a century in the Ranji Trophy final. Me
and Iyer had a good partnership, we communicated well and (Iyer) bhai was
insisting that we have to bat for long period and take the game as far as we
can.”
Now the youngest
player to hit a century for Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy final, Musheer claimed
that his brother, Sarfaraz Khan, an Indian cricketer, advised him to forget
about the first innings defeat and believe in himself in the second.
“I had spoken
with bhai earlier and he told me that this is a good opportunity for me in the
final, with everyone watching. If I would make runs here, it would be better
for me in the future.
“When I got out (for cheap) in the first innings, (he told me) it’s okay,
back yourself in the second innings and play your game. He told me to bat the
way I found was comfortable.”