Sarfaraz Khan's two centuries boost Test recall; Shaw seeks form

Two Mumbai batsmen stand at opposite ends of a trajectory as the domestic season approaches: Sarfaraz Khan has seized the Buchi Babu Trophy with back-to-back centuries to reinforce his case for a Test recall, while Prithvi Shaw, now with Maharashtra after leaving Mumbai, has offered flashes of his talent but continues to navigate a patchy form profile that has hampered his progress in recent seasons.

Sarfaraz Khan’s run of big scores has elevated him into the center of India’s red-ball conversations. He began the Buchi Babu Trophy with a commanding century and followed up with another hundred in the next match, underscoring his ability to anchor an innings and convert pressure into substantial totals on challenging tracks. In one memorable innings, he reached the century in quick time and celebrated with a composed acknowledgment to his dugout, before eventually being dismissed for a high score in the same game. Across the tournament, his insistence on aggressive, yet controlled scoring has been a clear statement to national selectors, who are weighing middle-order options for a busy home-season schedule that includes series against the West Indies and South Africa. He has also...