MUMBAI: The shrug of the shoulders was subtle, almost imperceptible, yet it carried the weight of a player caught in the frustrating purgatory of modern selection cycles. For Sarfaraz Khan, the 29-year-old Mumbai batting stalwart, the question of why he remains on the fringes of the Indian Test setup is one he asks himself every single morning.
As the cricket world debates the composition of India’s middle order, Sarfaraz finds himself navigating a complex reality: he is a prolific scorer who is perpetually “on the radar” but seemingly never the priority. His most recent exclusion—being passed over for India A’s tour of New Zealand after having been called up as a backup for the Sri Lanka tour—is merely the latest chapter in a career defined by immense production and confusing stagnation.
The 5:00 AM Conundrum
For a man who has accumulated over 5,000 first-class runs at an astonishing average of 63.73, the internal dialogue is taxing. The motivation to maintain the grueling regimen of a professional athlete can wane when the rewards seem tethered to variables outside of one’s control.
“I wake up every morning and ask myself the same question,” Sarfaraz admitted candidly. “Why should I work harder? Why do the same things? Why should I wake up at 5 am for practice? I have already played for India. With basic effort, I can still play for Mumbai and score 50s and 100s. But then I see my Abbu (father, Naushad) putting in that effort, and I think of going out there and performing for him. That keeps me going.”
This admission highlights a poignant truth: Sarfaraz’s journey is as much about his father’s dream as it is about his own professional trajectory. Having fulfilled that initial dream of donning the India cap, the hunger has shifted from merely reaching the summit to proving he belongs there permanently.
Challenging the ‘Home Track’ Narrative
One of the most persistent, and perhaps damaging, narratives surrounding Sarfaraz is the perception that he is a specialist in Indian conditions—a batter who feasts on rank turners at home but lacks the technical pedigree for greener, faster decks abroad. It is a label that clearly stings, and one he vehemently contests.
“The selectors didn’t say it directly, but when I was with the Indian team, I heard they are looking at me more for Indian conditions,” Sarfaraz noted. He pointed toward his performances in high-pressure intra-squad fixtures as evidence to the contrary: a blistering 61-ball century in Pretoria in 2023 and a 76-ball 101 for India A against the national Test squad earlier this year.
“I have scored centuries in South Africa and England,” he reminded critics. “In India, you get such big rank turners. You struggle so much when you come from domestic cricket, and then people expect you to perform on such difficult wickets. You can’t get more than 30-40 runs, but that doesn’t mean I can’t handle the conditions elsewhere.”
A Physical Metamorphosis
In an era where fitness standards are non-negotiable for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sarfaraz has taken drastic steps to ensure he is not excluded on physical grounds. He has undergone a remarkable transformation, shedding 22 kilograms to drop from 97kg to 77kg.
Yet, true to his eccentric and often humorous personality, Sarfaraz cannot help but poke fun at the obsession with his physique. “I used to play better when I was fat,” he joked, flashing a grin that belies the intensity of his training. Despite the levity, his commitment is absolute. He acknowledges that the game has changed, and he has evolved with it, even if he remains convinced that the rhythm of his batting was once inextricably linked to the frame he carried.
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Scorer
Sarfaraz’s record—18 first-class centuries in 66 matches—speaks to a player who has mastered the art of concentration. Yet, he speaks openly about the lack of external support in his career, noting that his father remains his singular, constant pillar.
“I don’t have support in my life. Only my father has supported me,” he said. He reflects on his journey with a mix of pride and fatigue, noting that his path to the national side was paved with triple hundreds and double hundreds—an arduous slog that took years of relentless output.
For now, the venue for Sarfaraz remains the same: the local grounds of Mumbai. If you want to find him, you don’t look in a plush boardroom or a training facility with high-tech sensors; you go to Azad or Cross Maidan. That is where he resides, honing his craft, waiting for the phone to ring.
As he prepares for another domestic campaign, beginning with his 100-ball 55 against Railways at Brabourne Stadium, the message from Sarfaraz is clear: he is not finished. He will keep waking up at 5:00 AM, he will keep putting in the work, and he will keep piling on the runs. Whether or not the selectors recognize it is a question for another day; for Sarfaraz Khan, the job is simply to play cricket, and he intends to do it until he can no longer pick up a bat.
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