Sarfaraz Khan, currently out of favor with Team India, has turned to Mumbai’s Kanga League in an effort to regain his spot in the Test squad. The 27-year-old is drawing motivation from Mumbai cricket legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and others who developed their game in this domestic competition.
Sarfaraz made his delayed Test debut for India against England in Rajkot in February 2024, impressively scoring half-centuries in both innings. He followed that with a stellar 150 in the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. However, after underperforming in the next two Tests of that series, he was left out of the playing XI for all the Border-Gavaskar Trophy matches in Australia.
Later, Sarfaraz was dropped from the Test side for the England tour. Recently, he grabbed headlines for a significant physical transformation, losing 17 kilograms. In an interview with Mid-Day, the Mumbai batter emphasized his commitment to improving his game further by playing in the Kanga League. He stated:
“All Mumbai players should play (Kanga League). Some players feel that if they fail here, it’ll be bad for their future. But if Gavaskar sir and Sachin Tendulkar sir thought the same way, they might not have gone on to become legends.”
“If big players play in this tournament, it will be an inspiration for the city’s youngsters. Kanga League is such a tournament that if you succeed here, you can score runs anywhere in the world,” the right-hander added.
Sarfaraz Shines For India A In Victory Over England Lions
The experienced Mumbai batsman was not selected for India’s five-match Test series in England. However, he delivered a strong performance for India A against the England Lions in the first unofficial Test at Canterbury. The right-handed batsman scored 92 runs off 119 balls in the first innings, including 13 boundaries, before being dismissed by Josh Hull.
He did not get to bat in the second innings as the match ended in a draw. So far, Sarfaraz Khan has played six Test matches for India, accumulating 371 runs at an average of 37.10, which includes one century and three fifties. In first-class cricket, he has amassed 4,685 runs in 55 matches, boasting an impressive average of 65.98.
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