Sarfaraz Khan’s imperious double hundred against Hyderabad came with a notable footnote, crediting a local legend for his heroics – former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin.

“At the end of the day, he went and played. He scored those runs, and he should take all the accolades. I am very thankful that he took my name, but it was not required. As long as he scores runs and succeeds, I am very happy. That will be the best gift he can give me,” Azharuddin told The Hindu.

The Mumbai batter visited Azharuddin’s office here, waiting patiently for nearly 45 minutes for the 62-year-old to finish his appointments.

“He is a good, attacking player who can change the situation of a game very quickly. He doesn’t like being dominated by the bowler. As a batter, you need to score runs. If you allow a good bowler to dominate, you are in trouble. I don’t know how the pitch was, but I believe the ball was swinging and the bounce was variable. So for him to score at a good rate underlines his quality.”

“He wants to learn. Even after playing for India and then scoring runs, he still wants to learn. That’s a very good sign. Because nobody is perfect.”

“Zaheer Abbas showed me what to change in myself and how, when I was struggling. He showed me how to play fast bowling and swing bowling,” Azharuddin said, as he explained what he hoped the conversation would give Sarfaraz.

He also hopes to see the 28-year-old don national colours again.

“He deserves another chance to play for India. He has scored runs everywhere, and India needs good attacking players. If you are scoring runs but you still don’t get a chance, it gets very disappointing. But I’m sure he will get it very soon.”