Lighter by 17kg, Sarfaraz Khan ready for Sri Lanka challenge

A few days before he was recalled to India’s Test squad, Sarfaraz Khan had declared on social media that, “I may not fit in, but I’ll fight with everything I’ve got.” It was a message of resolve but one that was acutely aware of the probabilities at that point. But as luck would have it, his resolve won. An injury to Sai Sudharsan opened up window of opportunity which Sarfaraz had been waiting for past two years. He was included for the two-match away Test series against Sri Lanka beginning on August 15.

The recall could not have come at a more opportune time for the Mumbaikar, having done all that he could to “fit in”, including shedding 17kg in the past year and a half. For someone, who has fought the perception of being a bit more burly for international cricket despite scoring a marathon triple hundred in Ranji Trophy, Sarfaraz now sports a sharper look, something that has certainly elevated his T20 game. Add to it, hours and hours spent at the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium in Kashmir to sharpen his skills because seasonal rains made it impossible to have regular training in Mumbai.

The comeback, therefore, is one to savour as being dropped after four failures against New Zealand, back in 2024, was hard to process. It was a series in which everyone failed but the axe fell only on the 28-year-old.

He then went to England and scored 92 for India A in an unofficial Test’ against England Lions apart from a century in an intra-squad game (India vs India A) at Beckenham.