I may not fit in, but I’ll fight with everything I’ve got.
A few days before his recall to India’s Test squad, Sarfaraz Khan posted this cryptic message on social media that summed up his state of mind
at the time. It was a statement of determination, but also an acknowledgement of the odds stacked against him.
As it turned out, Sarfaraz’s resolve eventually paid off.
An opportunity two years in the making
An injury to Sai Sudharsan has opened the door Sarfaraz had been waiting for over the past two years. The Mumbai batter has been included in India’s squad for the two-match away Test series against Sri Lanka, beginning August 15.
The timing of his recall could hardly have been better. Sarfaraz has done everything within his control to “fit in”, including losing 17kg over the past year and a half.
For a player who has long had to contend with the perception that he was too burly for international cricket, despite having scored a marathon triple hundred in the Ranji Trophy, Sarfaraz now cuts a much sharper figure. The transformation has also translated into an improved T20 game.
A comeback built on hard yards
With Mumbai’s seasonal rains making regular outdoor training difficult, Sarfaraz spent hours at the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium in Kashmir, working on his skills.
The effort takes on greater significance given how difficult his previous experience with the Indian team had been. He was dropped after four failures against New Zealand in 2024, a decision that was particularly hard to process because the entire team had struggled in that series, while the axe fell only on the 28-year-old.
Sarfaraz subsequently travelled to England, where he scored 92 for India A in an unofficial Test against England Lions. He also made a century in an intra-squad game between India and India A at Beckenham.
Yet a return to the senior side remained elusive.
Did South Africa series change the equation?
India’s meek surrender to South Africa at home eventually brought Sarfaraz back into the conversation. According to sources, the team management had enquired about his availability ahead of the second Test in Guwahati. The selection committee, however, was not prepared to bring him back into the fold at that stage.
With Sudharsan still recovering from a right big-toe impact injury, the selectors had three main options. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has a first-class career average in the mid-40s, was one. Young Shaikh Rasheed, who is more naturally a No. 3, was another.
The third option was Sarfaraz, and perhaps the most logical one given his ability against spin. In the current set-up, he is arguably the best player of spin apart from captain Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant.
There is also a question over Dhruv Jurel’s effectiveness against spinners. At least at the senior international level, he has not consistently delivered against spin for some time. That makes it uncertain whether the Uttar Pradesh batter will be used as a specialist batter when India begin the first Test in Galle on August 15.
Why Sarfaraz has the edge over Jurel
Jurel arrived in Sri Lanka last month as captain of the India A side and made a big hundred and a fifty across the two ‘A’ Tests. But in the practice game that ended on Sunday, he was dismissed cheaply while defending against an off-spinner.
Jurel’s struggles against off-spin are now well documented. South Africa’s Simon Harmer dismissed him three times in four innings during the series against the Proteas.
Sarfaraz, meanwhile, brings a wider range of strokes against spin. His repertoire includes both the conventional and reverse sweep, and he is comfortable playing them in front of and behind the square.
Preparing for Sri Lanka on red soil
After the IPL, Sarfaraz featured in the Mumbai T20 league, where he produced some blistering knocks for Akash Tigers Western Mumbai Suburbs.
Once the monsoon arrived in Mumbai, however, he moved to Kashmir. There, he trained against net bowlers as well as some members of the state team.
His preparations also included skills training on an astro-turf wicket at the MCA Indoor facility in BKC. He rented private facilities around Kurla as well, where he spent hours batting on used and under-prepared red-soil tracks to ensure his game against slow bowlers remained sharp.
Now, after doing everything possible to “fit in”, Sarfaraz has finally got the opportunity he has been fighting for. India will need him to fight the good fight against Prabath Jayasuriya and company this weekend.
