Sarfaraz Khan stays focused on his game in domestic cricket after being overlooked for the India A squad. The Mumbai batter emphasizes his commitment to performance and fitness as he awaits his next opportunity to represent the country.
Sarfaraz Khan Remains Focused Amid India A Exclusion
Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan remains focused on scoring runs in domestic cricket despite being overlooked for the India A squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand, insisting that his responsibility is to keep playing and wait for another opportunity to represent the country. “My job is to play cricket. And I will play,” Sarfaraz said, as per Cricinfo after the first day’s play of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy fixture against Railways at the Brabourne Stadium.
The 29-year-old last featured for India in a Test against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in 2024. Although he was recalled to the squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka in August this year as a replacement for the injured Sai Sudharsan, he did not get a game. Sarfaraz was also hoping to be included in the India A squad for the three four-day matches against New Zealand, which serve as preparation for the senior team’s upcoming Test series. However, he was left out. “Obviously. Whenever a team comes out, I have expectations,” he said when asked whether he expected to be selected. “But it’s okay. It’s in their (selectors’) hands whether to select me or not. My job is to play cricket.”
Views on Selection and Performance
The Mumbai batter also said he had heard that the selectors were considering him primarily for matches played in Indian conditions. “The selectors didn’t say it to me directly, but when I went to the Indian team recently, I heard that they are looking at me more for Indian conditions,” he said, as per Cricinfo.
However, Sarfaraz pointed to his performances in overseas conditions for India A, questioning the perception that he was more suited to playing in India. “But still I have a question, that when I went to [South] Africa, I scored runs [for India A]. When I went to England, I scored. So sometimes when you make a comeback and you get a rank turner in India, suddenly you can’t perform very well on a difficult wicket after scoring in domestic cricket. Or if you do, then 30-40-50 runs are enough on it. But it is not that I have not scored runs outside [India]. I have scored outside too. So it’s okay. Ye unka nazariya hai (This is the selectors’ perspective). My job is to play cricket. And I will play,” he said.
Sarfaraz has scored 300 runs in seven first-class matches for India A outside India at an average of 50, including three half-centuries. Meanwhile, he has continued to deliver for Mumbai in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. After scores of 1, 154 and 40 in his first three innings, he made 55 against Railways on Monday, taking his season’s average to 62.50.
Dedication to Training and Fitness
The batter admitted that consistently returning to domestic cricket and starting afresh every season was not easy, but said he had maintained the same training routine that helped him make his way through the ranks. “It’s very difficult to score runs every season,” Sarfaraz said, as per Cricinfo. “I think I am still doing the same thing that I did with my father in the beginning. It’s the same thing. I don’t take off in the off-season, and I practice and keep batting. I don’t know how many runs I am going to make.”
“But when I came to Ranji Trophy 10-11 years ago, I worked hard the same way. I have the same routine. Everyone knows If you want to meet Sarfaraz Khan, you don’t have to go to his house, you can meet him at Azad Maidan or Cross Maidan at 6 in the morning. It’s very difficult to restart every year, come every year and work hard. Sometimes you get success, sometimes you don’t. But this is my job, can’t do anything,” he added.
Sarfaraz also credited his father for keeping him motivated during the difficult phases of his career, saying his commitment to cricket remains unchanged even after fulfilling his childhood dream of playing for India. “Motivation is to play cricket, that’s it. Wherever I get a chance, I will play cricket. When it’s off-season, I don’t like to sit at home. I think I’m made for cricket. Wherever I get an opportunity… [If] Ranji Trophy, Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare, IPL, the Indian team calls me, I will go. If India A calls me, I will go. I want to play cricket,” he said, as per Cricinfo.
He also revealed that he lost 20 kg last year, reducing his weight from 97 kg to 77 kg, as part of an effort to improve his fitness. Sarfaraz clarified that the decision was his own and not a directive from the team management. “No one told me that I have to lose weight,” he said. “But whatever I heard on social media, or from someone, that maybe I should lose weight. So I did it. Because whatever I hear, that I should work on something, I am doing that in my life. I can’t do anything more than that. In reality, I was overweight. There is no doubt about that.”
Sarfaraz, who made his Test debut in 2024 after piling up big scores in domestic cricket, said he was not dwelling on selection decisions and would continue to make the most of every opportunity. “I’m not thinking much, I am just playing wherever I get a chance,” he said. “They will call me up [again], I will go and play. Otherwise I’ll continue to play here [in domestic cricket],” he concluded.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)