He is only 19, but has already made the world sit up and take notice.
Musheer Khan became the youngest Mumbai batter to score a century in a Ranji Trophy final, eclipsing the 29-year-old record set by none other than Sachin Tendulkar. That he did it in the presence of the star batter at the Wankhede Stadium was the icing on the cake.
Musheer Khan's patient 136 in the second innings against Vidarbha sealed the 42nd title for Mumbai. His crucial innings is no flash in the pan—he scored 203* in the quarterfinal against Baroda and an important 55 in the semifinal against Tamil Nadu.
Younger brother of the prolific Sarfaraz Khan, who made his India Test debut in the recently concluded series against England, Musheer Khan was one of the stars for India in the U-19 World Cup this year. With 360 runs, he was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament, and also picked up seven wickets, and was instrumental in India finishing as runners-up.
After an impressive outing in the Giles Shield, Musheer Khan made his debut in the Kanga League at eight. Interestingly, he broke his brother Sarfaraz's record, who was 10 when he made his debut in 2007. In his first Kanga League match, Musheer Khan took three wickets against Rajawadi Cricket Club, and then took a fifer against Catholic Gymkhana. He finished the league with 25 wickets in six matches and was named the bowler of the tournament.
"Sarfaraz always emphasised on focusing on the game itself rather than the outcome. That's my approach too," said Musheer Khan. The elder brother caught everyone's attention with an incredible 439 in his first Harris Shield game, in 2009 when he was only 12, breaking Tendulkar's record since 1988. Sarfaraz Khan went on to join the Mumbai U-19 team, and later the Indian U-19 squad. In Ranji Trophy, he scored 928 runs in the 2019-20 season and followed it up with 982 runs in the 2021-22 season.
Musheer Khan celebrates the wicket of Vidarbha's Aman Mokhade on the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy final match, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai | PTI
Much like his illustrious brother, Musheer Khan, too, had a bright start in his cricketing career. In the 2022 U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy, he was the standout player, scoring 632 runs and taking 32 wickets, earning him the Player of the Tournament award. He also impressed in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy the same year.
His performances caught the eye of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy selectors, and he made his debut in December 2022. Although his first Ranji season was not exceptional, he made headlines with a stunning 339 runs against Hyderabad in the U-25 Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy in January 2023.
In November that year, representing India B in the U-19 One-Day Challenger Trophy, Musheer Khan starred in the final, scoring 139 runs and taking three wickets against India A. He ended up as the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 268 runs in three innings.
With the dearth of quality all-rounders in the senior Indian team, Musheer Khan would definitely be in the selectors' scheme of things if he continues his purple patch.
