MUMBAI: The shrug of the shoulder said it all when Sarfaraz Khan was asked about his absence from the India Test set-up.The latest snub came when he was overlooked for India A’s three-match tour of New Zealand. This was after he had been included in the Test squad for the Sri Lanka tour as Sai Sudharsan’s replacement.Quizzed about what keeps him motivated despite repeatedly being overlooked, the 29-year-old said he often finds himself questioning the effort he puts in every day.“I wake up every morning and ask myself the same question. 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. So even with basic effort, I can still play for Mumbai. With that effort, I can still get those 50s and 100s. So sometimes I start questioning it (the effort). But when I see Abbu (father Naushad) putting in that effort, I think of going out there and performing for him. So there is something or the other that keeps motivating me,” said the Mumbai batter.Sarfaraz last played for India when New Zealand toured the country in 2024. He was also part of the squad for India’s 2024-25 tour of Australia but did not get a game Down Under.He added: “Right now, the motivation is to play cricket. I don’t like to sit at home. I think I’m made for cricket. Wherever I get an opportunity… Ranji Trophy, Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare, IPL, or if the Indian team calls me. I just want to play cricket.”As far as communication from the national selectors is concerned, Sarfaraz feels let down by the perception that he is only being considered for Indian conditions.“The selector didn’t say it directly. But when I went with the Indian team, I heard that they are looking at me more for Indian conditions. But I will question that (thinking). I have scored centuries in South Africa and England (during intra-squad matches). In India, you get such big rank turners. You struggle so much when you come from domestic cricket. And suddenly, you will not be able to perform on such a difficult wicket... so you can’t get more than 30-40 runs,” said Sarfaraz, who made a 100-ball 55 on Day One of Mumbai’s Group D match against Railways at the Brabourne Stadium on Monday.The centuries Sarfaraz is referring to came during intra-squad games. In 2023, he scored a 61-ball century in Pretoria, while during the 2025 England tour, he made a 76-ball 101 for India A against the Indian Test squad.Despite the setbacks, he focused on improving his fitness, and skills, in the off-season and shedding a few kilos as well. He has lost 22kg and now tips the scales at 77kg, having once weighed 97kg. Right now, he is looking forward to scoring runs in the domestic season and staying ready for an India call-up so that he is not found wanting.But when it comes to Sarfaraz, a tongue-in-cheek comment is never far away, even if his career is at a crossroads. “I used to play better when I was fat,” he said cheekily, before adding: “It is not like I’m not getting runs. You can’t get the same amount of runs every year. Sometimes it’s up and down. As long as you are not out of form, you don’t have to worry. In reality, my weight was more.”Sarfaraz still boasts a healthy first-class record, having scored 5,354 runs in 66 matches at an average of 63.73, including 18 centuries.He feels restarting every season isn’t easy, nor is scoring truckloads of runs year after year. All he can do is work as hard as possible. “It’s very difficult to make runs. My routine, after playing for so many years in the Ranji Trophy, hasn’t changed. There’s no off-season for me… I just keep practising. I don’t know how many runs I am going to make, but the hard work I put in is the same. Everyone knows, if you want to meet Sarfaraz, you don’t have to come to his home. You can meet him at Azad or Cross Maidan. It’s very difficult to restart. Sometimes you get success, sometimes you don’t. But this is the job,” said Sarfaraz.One regret Sarfaraz has is not getting enough support in his push for an India spot. “Everyone knows that I don’t have support in my life. Only my father has supported me. But it’s okay. I have fulfilled my father’s dream (of me playing for India). And it’s not like I scored once or twice and immediately played for India. I scored 300, 250, 200 and worked hard to get that opportunity,” he said.
Leave a Reply