Sarfaraz Khan starred with the bat on Day 1 of the Irani Cup 2022 between Rest of India and Saurashtra in Rajkot on Saturday (October 1).

After bundling out Saurashtra for a paltry 98, Rest of India were reeling at 18/3 when Sarfaraz arrived in the middle to partner his skipper Hanuma Vihari.

The duo put on a show with the bat for the rest of the day as Rest of India went to stumps with 205/3 on the board, leading Saurashtra by 107 runs.

In particular, Sarfaraz was severe on the Saurashtra bowlers as he completed his century in just 92 balls and further strengthened his claims for India selection. The right-hander has been in terrific form this season and his First-Class average is currently over 82 after 29 games.

Sarfaraz’s hundred in the Irani Cup comes on the back of his match-winning 127 for the West Zone in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone two weeks ago. He was also the top scorer in this year’s Ranji Trophy with 982 runs from 9 innings at an average of 122.75, including four centuries.

For his scintillating ton on the opening day of the Irani Cup, Sarfaraz Khan received rich praise from the Indian cricket fraternity on Twitter. Star India batter Suryakumar Yadav also posted a tweet for the Mumbai lad.

Here are the reactions:

At the close of play on Day 1, Sarfaraz Khan remained unbeaten on 125 off 126 balls (19 fours and 2 sixes) while captain Vihari ended with 62 not out.