Ranji Trophy: Emotional Musheer Khan scores hundred for Mumbai hours after losing uncle | Cricket News

MUMBAI: Saturday morning started on a difficult note for Musheer Khan. As he prepared to leave for the MCA ground in BKC to take part in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy match against Himachal, the 20-year-old all-rounder learned that he had lost his ‘mamu’, maternal uncle, with whom he developed a great affinity growing up.It’s the kind of moment where you can drown in memories and emotions. However, the youngster did well to put up a courageous show, pulling Mumbai out of the woodwork as they slipped to 35 for three and then 73 for four, slamming the fourth first-class century (112 off 162 balls with 14 fours), and his first since September last year, after which he suffered a horrific accident which was ruled out of the 2024-25 domestic season.Go beyond borders with our YouTube channel. REGISTER NOW!However, once he reached his milestone, which required 143 balls and saw him occupy the field for a mammoth 263 minutes, Musheer let his emotions out, bursting into tears as he raised his bat towards the dressing room and spectators at the BKC Clubhouse.“First, this century has come after a long time, and also I felt very emotional after losing my mamu (maternal uncle), with whom I have so many good memories. I played on his lap,” Musheer said.Usually, whenever Musheer or his elder brother Sarfaraz Khan play a match in Mumbai, their father and coach Naushad Khan makes it a point to watch the boys in action. However, on Saturday, he had to rush to Azamgarh to join the grieving family. Overcoming a difficult situation, Musheer managed to pay tribute to his maternal uncle in style. There is a special connection that the young Turk has with the MCA pitch in BKC. He made his first-class debut for Mumbai against Saurashtra here in December 2022. In the following Ranji season (2024-25), Musheer, making a magnificent return to the Mumbai team in the knockout stages of the Ranji Trophy, slammed 203* and 55 against Baroda in the quarter-final, then 55 against Tamil Nadu in the semi-final, besides taking two for 18 with his left-arm spin.Possessing an unconventional method of charging the leaders repeatedly, Musheer knows there are leads to plunder at BKC once the early morning humidity dries up. “In this venue, the morning session always produces two or three wickets. So we made it clear that we don’t want to chase runs, we just want to bowl well in this session. BKC is my favorite ground, I have played here since my childhood and scored a lot of runs, so I knew the wicket will become easier to bat after lunch,” he said.Showing plenty of patience during his 157-run partnership with fellow centurion Siddhesh Lad (100 not out off 207 balls), Musheer chose to face the Himachal bowlers on a hot day at a venue where he has mastered the art of scoring runs. “I always think I’m starting from scratch at the start of every session. So, I try to hit long, I try to hit a lot of balls. Here there are two phases. One is the morning. In the evening too, with the shadows coming off the buildings, visibility becomes a little difficult, especially if the bowler gets help. Once you’re ready, past your hundred, you see the ball like a football, then you see the shadow, you tell yourself to do it again. So that’s the state of mind I had in the morning and evening. I try to play every ball like it’s the first ball,” he said.Explaining his unconventional method of charging down the track frequently, even to fast bowlers, Musheer said: “Because if the bowler gets pace, he gets better. With the new ball too, I try not to overdo it, but once again I try to disrupt the length.” “We are very happy (that) Musheer is back fit. We know he has the potential to score big runs,” Lad had said on Friday, after Musheer, playing the role of opener, shrugged off his meager start to the season (0 and 8 against Jammu and Kashmir) and 12 (against Chhatisgarh), with scores of 49 and 63 against Rajasthan in Jaipur. Clearly, the Mumbai team is aware of what Musheer can produce once he finds his mojo, as he did on Saturday against Himachal. “First of all, I would like to thank the coaches and the captain, Shardul bhai (Shardul Thakur). He was very supportive to me, because in the first few matches, I didn’t do much running. And I would also like to thank the Mumbai Cricket Association and the BCCI CoE, where I underwent rehabilitation,” he said.Approaching 1,000 first-class runs – he reached 960 in his 13th match – Musheer, who scored a match-winning century in the Ranji Trophy, knows the importance of this century, which came after he was sidelined due to his neck injury caused by the accident.“I am still following the process. This hundred is important as it gives confidence at the start of the season. I came close in the last match but could not do it due to lack of concentration,” he said.Even as Musheer relished his century, his elder brother Sarfaraz’s poor form continued, with the seasoned campaigner dismissed for a 57-ball 16. Before leaving for the dressing room, Sarfaraz offered some valuable advice to Musheer. “Bhai told me to stay there and keep scoring…” he said.Elaborating on the symphony with Lad, which left the Himachalk bowlers gasping, Musheer said: “I like that our seniors let us play our own game. They don’t tell us how we should play, but just tell us to look at the team and the situation. They gave us a free hand. “They told us, ‘You can hit a six or play your own game. But the team comes first.’ We (me and Lad) had thought that unless the bowler bowled an unplayable delivery, we would not bowl our wicket.»