What is reason behind Sarfaraz Khan wearing jersey No. 97? Explained

Sarfaraz Khan made his test debut against England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot.

Mumbai’s smiddle order batter Sarfaraz Khan has finally got his turn to wear India’s cap proudly on his head. After a long wait, he finally got his chance to bat in India’s middle order and made his test debut against England in the Rajkot test. Sarfaraz Khan became India’s 311th test player. Wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel also made his test debut along with Sarfaraz Khan.

Sarfaraz’s father Naushad Khan played a big role in shaping his son’s cricket career. Naushad Khan has worked really hard on Sarfaraz’s journey from a humble beginning to now an Indian cricketer. KL Rahul’s injury gave him a golden chance to flaunt his 97 jersey in the action. Sarfaraz received his maiden India rest call-up before the second test of the ongoing series, but had to wait till third test to make his debut.

Why Sarfaraz Khan wear 97 number jersey?

The number 97 was always associated with Indian middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan from the U19 days. He has always used the number 97 on his jersey irrespective of the team and format he plays. There is a very emotional reason behind Sarfaraz’s chosen jersey number. Sarfaraz had revealed the reason behind it as informed that the number 97 is related to his father.

His father’s name is Naushad Khan and according to Sarfaraz, the number 9 and 7 matches the name of his father in Hindi when pronounced. The number 9 is called ‘Nau’ in Hindi while the number 7 is pronounced as ‘saat.’ If somebody pronounces 9 and 7, the loose Hindi combination will be NauSaat which is closest to his father’s name Naushad Khan.

Naushad Khan got emotional when Sarfaraz Khan was handed his maiden India test cap. Naushad Khan has played good amount of cricket locally in Mumbai, but never got the chance to make his debut for Mumbai in Indian domestic tournaments. Nushad Khan’s younger son Musheer Khan was part of India U19 team in U19 World Cup 2024.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.