Much-fitter Sarfaraz Khan to use Buchi Babu tournament to stake claim for middle-order slot in Indian Test side

One can see a striking difference in Sarfaraz Khan’s appearance. With just a casual glance, one can make out that he looks fitter than he was during the Test series against England in February-March, when he made his Test debut. The domestic season is still a couple of weeks away, but Sarfaraz already looks tanned, a clear indication of him spending hours under the sun.

Since his last outing against England at Dharamshala, Mumbai’s match against Haryana in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament in Coimbatore was his first competitive match. When most of his peers were busy with IPL commitments, Sarfaraz wasn’t sulking. Instead he packed his bags and went to his native village in Uttar Pradesh to work on his fitness. And the off-season would turn out to be one of the most intense sessions he has ever had.

“There is nothing called off-season for me,” Sarfaraz tells The Indian Express. “I would wake up by 4.15 am and by 4.30 am, I will start the day with long-distance running. It was very helpful to improve my fitness because by the end of the month, I was able to run 5 km in 30-31 minutes.”

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Improving his fitness was one of the goals the Indian team management had set for him during the England series. And the off-season came handy for Sarfaraz as it gave him the time to work on this aspect.

“It was my priority and we (his father Naushad and him) put a plan in place. So once I’m done with my running, I would hit the gym. So the first half of the day was allotted for fitness and fielding drills. The batting part would begin in the evening,” Sarfaraz adds.

The effort he put in during the off-season seems to have reaped dividends. For Sarfaraz, this is part of his evolution as a cricketer. “My father and I had a dream. It was to play for India and I was able to achieve it against England. But it shouldn’t be the end. Now, I’ve to prolong that dream as long as I can and for that, I have to do a lot of hard work. This isn’t the time to rest. If anything, I’ve to work harder,” he feels.

Practice makes perfect

It is the reason Sarfaraz chose to play the entire Buchi Babu Tournament as against training at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru or indoors back home in Mumbai. Even during the net sessions, he was seen roughing up the pitch before facing the spinners, asking Mumbai head coach Omkar Salvi to keep a close eye. Time and again, after playing defensive shots, he would check with Salvi if he was playing close to the body. Once he got a hang of the conditions, Sarfaraz frequently brought out the sweep shot, a rarity among current Indian batsmen.

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“I’m not looking at the Bangladesh series. But I’ve to follow the process and be ready. This (playing matches) is very important for me. I’ve not had this level of practice in Mumbai because of the rains. You are just facing a bowling machine, side-arm throwers or sometimes bowlers in indoor facilities. But I don’t like batting indoors because the ball comes nicely onto the bat. It is not the case on turf because it will challenge you a lot. And you can only improve by practising hard,” Sarfaraz says.

Despite concerns that Sarfaraz didn’t get his international break when he was in a rich vein of form, he looked totally at home against England. His game against spinners calmed the dressing room and Sarfaraz credits the time he spent playing domestic cricket.

“Some get a break very soon in their career. Some have to wait. In my case, I’m fortunate that it took time because I got to spend a lot of time in domestic cricket and that grind helped me become a better batsman. When I made my debut, for the first three deliveries I was nervous. But after that, I was in control. Whatever I used to do at the domestic level, I was doing the same in Test cricket. I was very clear in my mind. I wasn’t looking at the opposition or the bowler,” Sarfaraz recalls.

Despite his impressive outing in the England series, in which he scored three crucial fifties, Sarfaraz isn’t a guaranteed starter against Bangladesh in Chennai next month. With Virat Kohli and KL Rahul set to join the Test squad, Sarfaraz knows runs in the Duleep Trophy could make a strong case for retaining him at the No. 5 or 6 slot.

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“I have zero expectations… But I’ll be ready if the opportunity arises. That is what I’ve been doing all along and I don’t see any reason to change that,” he adds.

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