CHENNAI: India and Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan has opened up on the frustration of not getting selected in the Indian Test team for the New Zealand tour. The middle-order batter felt that the Indian team is looking for her services only in subcontinental conditions.
Sarfaraz, who made his debut in February 2024, so far played all the six Test matches in his career at home venues. The right-hander was a part of the India squad that toured Sri Lanka recently as a replacement for injured Sai Sudharsan but was never included in the playing 11. The 29-year-old's last appearance in India whites came against New Zealand in 2024 at the Wankhede Stadium.
"I wake up every morning) and ask myself the same question. Why should I work harder and undergo the same thing again and again. I have played for India. I wake up at 5am in the morning and go to practice. I feel like I can play for Mumbai and I am still playing. Sometimes I get that question in my mind. But when I see that my father is working hard for me, I want to do well for me. This is the only factor which is motivating me," Sarfaraz said after scoring a fifty for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy match against Railways on Monday.
Sarafraz claimed that he heard from the Indian team that they are looking at him as an option in Indian conditions, but questioned how he has scored runs in South Africa and England during intra-squad matches. "No selector said this in particular, but when I was with the Indian team, I only heard that they are looking at me more for the Indian conditions. But still I have a question that when I went to South Africa, I made a hundred against the Indian team from 60 balls (off 63 balls) and when I went to England and I scored hundred runs in 60 balls (101 off 76 balls)," he said.
Sarfaraz made a 63-ball hundred for India A against senior Indian side at Pretoria ahead of the 2023-24 tour, a year later he made a 76-ball hundred for India A at the Kent County Ground in Beckenham ahead of a five-match Test series. However, he was not selected for either of those two senior tours. "So, it's not that I have not scored runs outside (of India). I have scored runs. It's alright, it's their lookout, it's their perspective. My job is to play cricket," he said.
"When you come back to India to play on big rank turners.yes, you get to the Indian team after so much struggle in domestic cricket, but suddenly you would not be able to perform on such difficult wickets," he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
