India came into their first game of the Super Sixes in a strong position, carrying forward the maximum of four points from the first round after beating USA, Ireland and Bangladesh convincingly. Musheer had been one of the stars of that stage, hitting a century against Ireland and 73 against USA.

However, New Zealand were always likely to pose a sterner challenge, making Musheer’s knock all the more crucial. Opener Adarsh Singh was the next highest scorer with 52, but Musheer sparkled, finishing with 131 off 126 balls as India put up 295-8.

An early highlight was the uppercut off opening bowler Mason Clarke that brought his first boundary. Having managed just a single off his first seven balls, Musheer spotted a bouncer as his chance to get going, lifting the ball over the cordon for four.

It has been a proud couple of weeks for the Khan family. Both Musheer and Sarfaraz tonned up on the same day for India representative sides, Sarfaraz’s India A hundred against England Lions coming hours before Musheer’s Ireland knock. Sarfaraz’s stellar India A form – he also went big in the warm-up game against the Lions which preceded the series – has been rewarded with an India Test call-up, replacing the injured KL Rahul in the squad for the second Test against England.

Sarfaraz has long been a cause celebre among certain sections of India’s fans, with his eye-watering first-class average boosting his case. Sarfaraz averages 69.85 from 45 first-class games, with 14 hundreds. With a cut-off of 50 innings, only West Indies’ George Headley, India’s Vijay Merchant, and Australia’s Don Bradman average more.

While Musheer is yet to notch a big score in first-class cricket, his India U19 record suggests he shares his sibling’s prolific nature. Musheer averages 74.14 in U19 ODIs, the fourth highest of all time, with a cut-off of 500 runs.

Watch Musheer Khan’s uppercut below:

 

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