Indian National Cricket Team’s middle-order batsman Sarfaraz Khan, 26, has said that he has “zero expectations” from the upcoming Test series against the Bangladesh National Cricket Team despite his heroics in the debut Test series against the England National Cricket Team earlier this year.
Sarfaraz Khan finally made it to the Indian squad in the Test series against England after toiling in domestic cricket for years and delivering back-to-back sensational performances. His path to the Test squad was anything but easy as despite averaging over 70 in first-class cricket, he was not considered for selection, and it was the absence of key players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer that helped him finally book a place in the India XI.
Sarfaraz Khan made his debut memorable by scoring two quick fifties (62 and 68*). In the second Test, he failed (14 and 0) but recovered and scored a fifty (56) in the fifth and final Test.
Sarfaraz Khan is likely to return to the Indian side when they take on Bangladesh in a two-match Test series at home. The first Test will be played from September 19 and the second from September 27 in Chennai and Kanpur respectively.
Although Sarfaraz Khan was sensational in his debut series, there remain doubts over his place in India’s starting XI for the Bangladesh Tests as Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are set to return to the line-up. All Sarfaraz can do is perform well in the upcoming Duleep Trophy and impress the Indian team management.
Speaking ahead of the Test series, the 26-year-old made it clear that he is not looking at the Bangladesh series and his entire focus is on following his process.
“I am not thinking about the Bangladesh series but I have to go through the process and be ready. This (playing matches) is very important for me. I have not had this level of practice in Mumbai because of the rains. You are just facing a bowling machine, side-arm bowlers or sometimes bowlers in indoor facilities. But I don’t like batting indoors because the ball falls well on the bat. It is not the case on grass because it will challenge you a lot. And you can only improve by practising hard,” Sarfaraz told Indian Express.
He added that he has no expectations from the Bangladesh Tests but will be ready if he gets a chance to play.
“I have no expectations… but I will be ready if the opportunity arises. It is what I have been doing all this time and I don’t see any reason to change it,” he added.
Some get a break very early in their career. Others have to wait – Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan has been one of the players who has had to completely knock down the door to break into the Indian dressing room as he was not called up when he was in his prime. Despite that, he showed his composure in the series against England and played with confidence.
Speaking about this, Sarfaraz Khan said that the extra time it took him to get the India call-up helped him transform into a better batsman as he spent quality time in domestic cricket.
“Some people get a chance very early in their career. Others have to wait. In my case, I was lucky that it took time because I spent a lot of time in local cricket and that effort helped me become a better batsman.
“When I debuted, I was nervous for the first three deliveries. But after that, I was in control. What I used to do at the domestic level, I used to do the same in Test cricket. I was very clear about my ideas. I was not looking at the opponent or the bowler,” Sarfaraz said.
The right-handed batsman, who has been working hard on his fitness recently, also stated that getting the India cap was a dream for him but that is not all as he wants to reach greater heights.
“My father and I had a dream to play for India and I was able to achieve that against England. But it should not be the end. Now I have to prolong that dream as long as I can and for that I have to work hard. It is not time to rest. If anything, I have to work harder,” said Sarfaraz Khan.
