After making his debut in the India-England Test series in February, Indian domestic run-scoring stalwart Sarfaraz Khan hasn’t played a competitive match in five months. The 26-year-old batter last played in the fifth and final Test of the series, where he scored 56 off just 60 balls in India’s only innings. Sarfaraz – who had a prolonged wait before his Test debut – isn’t guaranteed a middle-order slot for India, as Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are set to return. Yet, the batsman has kept up a gruelling practice routine, and aims to get among the runs in the ongoing Buchi Babu cricket tournament.

“There is nothing called off-season for me,” said Sarfaraz to The Indian Express, speaking about his fitness regime. “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 half an hour.

“…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,” elaborated Sarfaraz.

Sarfaraz came under widespread criticism for his bulky figure and fitness concerns ahead of his selection, but quickly put the doubts to bed, as he piled up 200 runs in his first three Tests.

With India’s World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle continuing with two Tests against Bangladesh in September, a spot in the XI is not guaranteed. However, Sarfaraz is ready to put in the hard yards first. Sarfaraz is representing Mumbai in the Buchi Babu Invitation Cricket Tournament 2024, before he plays for India B in the rebranded Duleep Trophy.

Sarfaraz explained why getting match practice is more important for him.

” 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,” said Sarfaraz.

Having had to wait till February 2024 to make his Test debut despite averaging nearly 70 in first-class cricket, Sarfaraz has maintained that he heads into games with no expectations.

“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,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)