Sarfaraz Khan is not an unknown name for those following Mumbai cricket closely. A child prodigy, he has made quite an impact in Giles Shield and other junior level cricket in Mumbai. However, Pepsi IPL 2015 is the 17-year-old’s first big exposure after Royal Challenger Bangalore picked him up at the player auction prior to the season. In only his second innings in the IPL, the young batsman made everyone stand up and take notice of him with his blistering knock of 45 off 21 balls. Although the match against Rajasthan Royals ended without a result due to persistent rain in Bengaluru, the new kid on the block made the most of his big break. And the youngster is still soaking in the experience. “Before the auction I never thought that I will be picked in an IPL team,” Sarfaraz said. “When I joined RCB I did not expect to play in this season. But Dan sir (Daniel Vettori) gave me a chance in the playing XI and I am very happy that I could make the chance count. “That knock gave me a lot of confidence. It will help me and my team in the future if I keep performing like this,” he said. In the RCB dressing room, Sarfaraz is surrounded by big international super stars. And he acknowledges that he cannot get a bigger opportunity to learn the tricks of his trade than this. “I am very fortunate to be playing with the likes of AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli,” he said. “I get a bit nervous around them sometimes thinking I must not make a mistake. But AB supports and backs me a lot. Whenever I am nervous, he comes and talks to me and eases me out.”