The period of February-March was nothing less than a dream for Sarfaraz Khan. One of the most beautiful stories in Indian cricket, Sarfaraz made his much-awaited debut for India and immediately scored an explosive 62. Sarfaraz looked set for a century before a run-out involving Ravindra Jadeja cut his innings short. Still, he followed it with another solid knock of 68 not out in the second innings and 56 in the Dharamsala Test.

That, however, remains his last competitive game of any sorts since – March 7, 2024. A gap of over five months isn't the most ideal for a cricketer in India, but Sarfaraz had his work cut out even while he was away from First-Class cricket. The 26-year-old has been sweating out, and cut down on weight as he gears up for represent Mumbai in the Buchi Babu tournament. During the off-season, Sarfaraz went back to his native village in Uttar Pradesh and began his behind-the-scenes operation, one that has seen hit get leaner, fitter and a lot more agile.

"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," Sarfaraz told Indian Express.

"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."

Sarfaraz 'not looking forward' to Bangladesh Tests

Against England, Sarfaraz came in as a replacement for the injured Shreyas Iyer in the middle order for the third Test at Rajkot. But with India's focus shifting to the IPL and then the T20 World Cup, the Sarfaraz-Mania hit a bit of a hibernation mode. But now that India's Test season is about to return with a bang, Sarfaraz wants to make it count. He may no longer be a shoo-in, with KL Rahul and Iyer back in the scheme of things, but Sarfaraz isn't willing to let it slip. He isn't getting too ahead of himself, has no expectations for the Bangladesh series starting September 19, but at the same time, he isn't leaving anything up to fate either.

"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 practising hard," Sarfaraz added.

"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."

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