“I’m not looking at the” Sarfaraz Khan Has No expectations Ahead of the Bangladesh Series but will be ready for...

The longest format of cricket is returning to Indian soil. After a lot of limited-over cricket, India is all set to play a two-match Test series against Bangladesh. In the longest format, Sarfaraz Khan is a well-known name in the longer format. Earlier this year, he made his debut for India against England. But Sarfaraz Khan remains grounded, with no expectations for the Bangladesh series, yet is fully prepared, not relying on luck.

Delay Works in Sarfaraz’s Favor:

In the Indian domestic cricket, Sarfaraz Khan is a promising talent. Even after playing impressive cricket at that stage, he had to wait long to make his international debut. The batter thinks this delay has worked in his favor.

He said, “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.”

No Expectations Ahead of the Bangladesh Series:

While making his debut against England, his debut was nothing short of a fairytale. Coming as a substitute for Shreyas Iyer, he impressed the entire cricket world with his excellent performance. 

But as the Test cricket is all set to return. Along with that, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are set to return to the squad. In that case, Sarfaraz Khan’s place in the team is uncertain. While talking about this, the Mumbai batter said he is not expecting anything out of the series. 

He said, “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 practicing hard.”

While adding to this, he said, “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.”

His Preparation:

Sarfaraz Khan has been working hard, shedding weight to prepare for representing Mumbai in the Buchi Babu tournament. After that, the Duleep Trophy is lined up before the Test series against Bangladesh. During the off-season, he returned to his village in Uttar Pradesh to focus on his fitness. His efforts have paid off, making him leaner, fitter, and more agile as he gears up for the competition.

While talking about this, he said, “There is nothing called off-season for me. 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.”

Lastly, he added, “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.”

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