Sarfaraz Khan’s debut in India’s Test cricket team was highly anticipated in recent times. Despite consistently scoring well in domestic cricket year after year, Sarfaraz had to wait longer than expected to play for India, possibly due to the team’s strong lineup of world-class players.
When some international stars were unavailable, the 26-year-old got his chance to debut in the Test series against England earlier this year. He lived up to the expectations by scoring three half-centuries in five innings on challenging pitches that favored spin bowling, making it difficult for the batsmen.
The middle-order batter hasn’t played any competitive cricket since the England Test in Dharamsala in March, but he’s now returning to play in the Buchi Babu tournament in Tamil Nadu, where he’s also captaining Mumbai.
This will be followed by another red-ball competition, the Duleep Trophy, which will include some of India’s regular players preparing for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh next month.
Sarfaraz hopes to perform well in these two competitions and stay in consideration for India’s next Test assignment. However, he knows that with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul returning to the middle-order, a spot in the playing XI isn’t guaranteed.
“I have no expectations… But I’ll be ready if the opportunity comes. That’s what I’ve been doing all along, and I don’t see any reason to change that,” Sarfaraz told The Indian Express.
Sarfaraz has impressive stats with an average of 68.53 and a scoring rate of 70.87, which support his desire for a position in Test cricket. However, he isn’t bothered by not having been given a chance earlier in his career.
He actually believes that the wait might have been beneficial for him.
“Some players get opportunities early in their careers, while others have to wait. For me, I’m lucky that it took longer because it allowed me to play a lot of domestic cricket, and that experience helped me improve as a batsman,” Sarfaraz explained.
“When I first started playing, I felt nervous for the first few pitches. But then, I got comfortable and in charge. I did the same things in international cricket that I did in local games. I had a clear plan in my head. I didn’t focus on the other team or the pitcher,” he explained.
According to the report, Sarfaraz was training on uneven grounds with the careful supervision of Mumbai’s main coach, Omkar Salvi. He mentioned that this training is part of his routine and not just for the upcoming series against Bangladesh.
“I’m not specifically preparing for the Bangladesh series,” he stated. “But I need to keep up with my training and stay ready. Playing these matches is really important for me. I haven’t had this much practice in Mumbai due to the rain.”
