Sarfaraz Khan loses his cool as brother Musheer Khan goes wild celebrating century on Duleep Trophy debut

Musheer stood out as the driving force behind India B's remarkable comeback after being sent in to bat first. Despite a steady start from Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, it was Avesh Khan who sparked a collapse with the crucial dismissal of Easwaran. Alongside Khaleel Ahmed and Akash Deep, the trio wreaked havoc, leaving the B team struggling at 94 for seven in just 43.5 overs. Each of the fast bowlers contributed with two wickets apiece in an impressive display of skill and determination.

Musheer, who made his first-class debut for Mumbai in December 2022, then combined with tail-ender Navdeep Saini to stitch an unbeaten 110-run stand and, en route, notched up his third first-class century, with 105 not out off 227, laced with 10 boundaries and two sixes.

The 19-year-old was ecstatic at reaching the triple-figure mark at the close of Day 1 in Bengaluru, and he celebrated aggressively. Sarfaraz, who led the celebrations in the dressing room, couldn't keep calm watching his younger brother's sensational act. He, along with the other players and the support staff, were on their feet to laud Musheer.

With a century on Duleep Trophy debut, Musheer, also a Mumbai lad, matched the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. 33 years back, the two former India cricketers made their first-ever appearances in the domestic tournament, where they were pitted against each other in an epic match between West Zone and East Zone in Guwahati.

Sachin, then 17, who already had an international ton to his name, lived up to the expectations with a sensational 159. And Ganguly responded with a classy unbeaten 124.

This isn't the first time Musheer found his name associated with Sachin. Earlier in March, the 19-year-old had etched his name in history after shattering Sachin's record to become the youngest batter to score a ton in Ranji Trophy final in the presence of the India legend at the Wankhede Stadium. Sachin had previously scripted the record with an iconic 140 against Punjab at the age of 21 in the 994-95 Ranji Trophy final.

The Mumbai middle-order batter has shown a knack for stepping up in big tournaments or matches. Earlier this year, in the 2024 U-19 World Cup, the right-handed batter was the second-highest run-getter with 360 runs in seven matches, comprising two centuries in South African conditions.

Later, in the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy, he stepped up in the quarterfinal against Baroda to score his maiden first-class ton and converted it into a double century, before smashing a title-winning 136 in the final against Vidarbha.

Although still a long way to go, but the Mumbai middle-order batter could make an impact in the India selection process for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.