Sarfaraz Khan’s ton in Ranji Trophy final puts him behind Don Bradman

Mumbai batsman Sarfaraz Khan has been one of the architects of his side's dominant run in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2022 season. The cricketer began this year's edition with a ruthless 275 against the Saurashtra bowlers.

In the subsequent two group games, he plundered scores of 63, 48 and 165, all at a breakneck pace as his side topped the Elite Group D points table. The 24-year-old also charted 153 in the quarter-final and 99 runs across both innings of the semi-final against Uttar Pradesh.

Khan's 134 in the first innings of the title clash against an insurgent Madhya Pradesh unit extended his seasonal tally to 937 runs at a Bradmanesque-average of 133.85.

Overall, the star-batter is averaging 82.83 in first-class cricket, having played 25 matches to compile 2,485 runs. In terms of averages, he is only behind former Australian captain and all-time legend, late Sir Donald Bradman.

Sarfaraz Khan's first-class average reaches new heights

For batters with a minimum of 2,000 runs in first-class cricket, Khan's average of 82.83 stands as the second-best average in the world behind Don Bradman's 95.14. Former Indian batsman Vijay Merchant's 71.64 stands at number three on the elite list.

Meanwhile, Khan's batting average in Ranji Trophy is 82.76. It currently stands as the third-best average in India's most prestigious domestic competition, behind Vijay Merchant (98.35) and the all-time great Sachin Tendulkar (87.37).

The young Mumbai cricketer is also one of only three Indian batsmen to have aggregated over 900 runs in two separate Ranji Trophy seasons. Former cricketers Ajay Sharma and Wasim Jaffer are the only other players to have achieved this feat before.