Indian batsman Sarfaraz Khan has set the domestic circuit on fire with his superlative performances in the Ranji Trophy 2022. While the Indian fans have known him for his performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Khan made a huge statement in India’s premier domestic tournament by scoring a plethora of runs. Playing for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy 2022, Khan scored 982 runs at an average of 122.75. He also smashed four centuries, including one in the final against Madhya Pradesh.
Having been criticised for his weight in the past, Khan told The Indian Express on how a discussion with former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli helped him focus on his diet regime.
“When I played IPL in 2015-16, my fitness level was not good, and Virat Kohli had also told me that. After that, I improved my fitness, but I again put on weight. But in the last two years, I have been very disciplined about my health. Everyone’s body is different, but it should not affect my game. For the last eight years, I have been in the IPL and clearing fitness tests. In my off-season also, I will pay attention to my health and fitness,” Khan said.
He went on to add how he became cautious about what he was eating, even if that meant not eating Biryani – one of his favourite dishes everyday.
“When we were not informed about diet practices, we used to eat anything. But now, we are strict about our diet. In our house, we used to have non-vegetarian food every day. However, now we avoid eating biryani and other rice dishes. We either eat it on Sundays or on other occasions,” he concluded.
Having performed consistently in domestic cricket, Khan is also in the reckoning for a spot in the Indian Test squad with legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar recently throwing his weight behind Khan’s inclusion in the team.
“It’s a matter of great honour that he thinks so highly of me. If you go to any cricket ground and ask any child practising there what his ultimate goal is, his answer would be that he wants to play for India. I also have the same dream. But my Abbu says, ‘trust the process’. I play in the hope that I get better every day. This is my passion; this is what I have always wanted to do, and I never want to come out of this zone. When it will be in my luck, I will play for India,” Sarfaraz said.
