Sarfaraz Khan is a bitter man. After playing 6 Test matches for India where he scored a hundred and 3 fifties and averaged 37.10, he finds himself in and out of the Indian Test team.
The middle-order batter was given a call-up to join the squad for the Test tour of Sri Lanka, but didn’t get a game. Subsequently, he wasn’t picked for Test matches against New Zealand or the three A matches there.
“I didn’t even know I would get a call for the Sri Lanka tour. Then, I came back to play for Mumbai. I am not able to understand anything (about the future),” an emotional Sarfaraz told reporters at the Brabourne stadium on Monday. “Whenever and wherever I get a chance to play, I will play – whether it is India or India A or Mumbai.”
Sarfaraz has shed 22 kilos, becoming much leaner. “No one told me to. I just heard on social media and other places and I started working hard on losing weight,” he said.
“I think I was scoring more heavily when I was fat,” he joked.
“It’s difficult to restart every season. Scoring runs is not easy. I am following the same routines that I did when I started with my abbu (father). Not taking off days in the off-season, practicing. I don’t know how many runs I will score. I still work as hard as I did when I started playing Ranji Trophy a decade ago. People know if you want to find Sarfaraz Khan, don’t go to his home address, but at the Azad or Cross maidan at 6am,” he said. “Sometimes you find success, sometimes not. It’s tough. But this is what you have to do, can’t do much about.”
Asked if he has lost motivation in the journey, Sarfaraz replied, “I ask myself the same question. Why get up at 5am and go for practice?
“I have played for India. With normal effort, I can easily keep playing Ranji Trophy for Mumbai. I am still scoring hundreds. But when I see my father working hard, and him sweating it out, I work hard for him.”
At a certain point in time during the interaction, Sarfaraz got despondent. “Everyone knows I don’t have support in life,” he said. “If anyone has supported me, it’s my father. Nobody else. I worked hard and fulfilled my father’s dream. I have scored big hundreds to get there. It is not easy to play for India in today’s generation.”
“The motivation is to keep playing cricket. I think I am made for cricket. I don’t like to sit at home,” he added, before joining a teammate’s cake cutting celebrations.
For a few fleeting moments, Sarfaraz was happy again.