Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan not finding a spot in India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 against Australia was the talk of the town last month.
Sarfaraz failed to make the cut despite being so prolific in domestic cricket over the last three seasons. The right-hander amassed more than 900 runs in the Ranji Trophy seasons 2019-20 and 2021-22. He continued his brilliance in the 2022-23 edition of Ranji Trophy as well, scoring 556 runs from six matches at an average of 92.66 with three centuries.
As a result, the selection panel’s decision to overlook Sarfaraz drew criticism from all quarters. Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar too had slammed the national selectors while also taking a dig at those questioning the batter’s fitness.
"If you are looking for only slim and trim guys, then might as well go to a fashion show and find some other models and give a bat and ball in their hands and then improve them. That’s not the way cricket goes. You have cricketers in all shapes and sizes. Don't go by the size, go by the scores or wickets. He is not staying off the field when he scores a hundred. He is back on the field again. So, all that tells you is that the man is fit," Gavaskar had told India Today.
Reacting to it for the first time, Sarfaraz Khan stated that he has been putting in the hard yards to improve his fitness.
"I just heard that a while ago. I was busy playing the Ranji Trophy so I saw it in the morning itself all that he had to say. See fitness is obviously important, and I try my best. When our last Ranji Trophy match got over, I got back home at 2AM in the night and at 5AM was back on the ground. So my ground fitness is up to the mark and when it comes to running and all, I try and get the most out of it during Ranji or IPL. DC recently conducted a fitness camp in Delhi for 14 days. Whatever we have in our hand, we do it," Sarfaraz told SportsYaari.
While the constant snub can disheartening for any performing cricketer, Sarfaraz is happy to wait for his turn just like his good friend Suryakumar Yadav, who made his India debut at the age of 30.
"I am concentrating on the form that I am currently in, making sure I continue it for as long as possible. I'm doing this because when you lose your form, it doesn't come back that easily. Often it happens that a player earns a late call-up. Take Suryakumar Yadav for example. He is a great friend; we keep talking to each other about skills and we both play strong sweep shots. So like he too got a late start, he is in good form. So I too don't mind waiting a bit longer but key is to sustain this form," said Sarfaraz.
