A few days before his recall to the Test squad, Sarfaraz Khan posted a message on social media, which read, “I may not fit in, but I’ll fight with everything I’ve got.” It seemed like the kind of whinge that only a player who knew he was likely to be the third spinner in any given squad would get away with. It probably didn’t seem like the kind of whinge that would see his name included in the team announcement the very next day.

Sai Sudharsan’s injury has provided the opening Sarfaraz has been praying for. The 28-year-old Mumbai batter has been recalled to the Test squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka beginning August 15 in Galle. It’s the opportunity he has been looking forward to, and he has spent the last 18 months doing everything he could to make sure it would come.

From ‘Not Fit’ to Fighting Fit: Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz has shed almost 17 kg in the last year and a half. It is a testament to his desire to overcome yet another negative stereotype that has long been associated with him. That he always looked unfit for the rigours of international cricket is a perception that Sarfaraz has struggled to overcome throughout his career.

And it is one that he has battled hard to prove otherwise, despite already delivering a triple century for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, and having a strike rate of over 65 in his T20 career. Sarfaraz’s resolve has gone beyond just losing the unwanted weight.

While Mumbai’s monsoon has been a major dampener, the captain has been in Kashmir, hitting balls at the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium, and net bowling alongside the state team. He has also been at the MCA’s indoor centre in BKC, and has taken up private practice on uneven red soil surfaces in Kurla, in order to prepare himself for the conditions that he is likely to face in Test matches.

Sarfaraz’s second stint in the national team is even more special, given that his first ended in such a heartbreaking manner.

The captain was dropped after failing four consecutive tests against New Zealand earlier this year, and even as the entire batting order failed to deliver against the Black Caps, it was not easy for Sarfaraz to come to terms with the fact that he was the one being picked off.

But Sarfaraz has been in rich scoring form during his comeback. Sarfaraz Khan’s recovery has been helped immensely by the fact that he has continued to get runs even as he has struggled to regain his place in the team.

After returning from the New Zealand series, he hit 92 for India ‘A’ in an unofficial Test match against the England Lions. He even hit a century in the intra-squad match at Beckenham between India and India ‘A’. Still, there were moments when his wait seemed to be in vain.

Another opportunity finally came his way when India ‘A’ played a warm-up match in Galle. The series between India and South Africa ended heartbreakingly.

It was reported that ahead of the second Test in Guwahati, the selectors met and discussed the possibility of picking Sarfaraz for the second Test. But the selectors felt that it was not the right time to pick him yet.

This time, however, things worked out perfectly for the captain.

Why Sarfaraz Khan?

There were several options for the selectors as they deliberated over who to pick for the upcoming T20I series in Sri Lanka.

With Sudharsan nursing a big toe injury that has kept him away from the game, Ruturaj Gaikwad was an obvious choice, but so was Shaikh Rasheed, the uncapped youngster who has been scoring runs at a brisk pace.

The 2012 World Cup-winning captain, on the other hand, fits in much better at number six instead of the orthodox three, but he is the most obvious choice for the selectors given his strengths.

Sarfaraz has a good record against spin, and apart from Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, he is one of the best spin-saving options that India possesses. The same quality might come to the fore in Galle, given that Sri Lanka will be looking to utilise the spin-friendly surface to its advantage.

The other name that was in the race for the T20I series was Dhruv Jurel.

Sarfaraz Khan’s Case Against Spin

Jurel captained India ‘A’ in their recent stint in Sri Lanka, and made a brilliant start, as he scored a century and a half-century in the two unofficial tests that they played. But his form has been patchy, as his performance in Colombo clearly showed. He was out early in the warm-up match that was played on Sunday, and was deceived yet again by the off-spinner.

The concerns about Jurel’s ability to counter the off-spin have been persistent, and it is unlikely that they will go away soon. He faced the pace bowling of Simon Harmer during the two Tests that India played against South Africa, and was dismissed thrice in the four innings. The Indian selectors need to understand that the bowler can get the best out of a poor technique, and that Jurel, unfortunately, is a prime example of that.

Sarfaraz, on the other hand, has more options at his disposal. He can score off both the conventional sweep and the reverse sweep, and he can do so either on the leg side or on the cover drive. Such qualities can come in handy in the conditions that are expected in Galle.

Turning Ball Preparation

Sarfaraz’s preparations since the IPL reveal the same determination.

He had played in the Mumbai T20 league after the IPL and had scored a number of fluent innings for Akash Tigers Western Mumbai Suburbs before the monsoon deluged Mumbai. He shifted to Kashmir for his preparations during the monsoon. He had intensive practice against the net bowlers and also the team from Jammu and Kashmir.

Back in Mumbai, he continued his practice at the MCA Indoor Stadium in BKC. He also had backup practice in privately owned academies in Kurla where he used to bat on old red soil and sloppy pitches.

It was an appropriate form of preparation. Sarfaraz fully realises that if his name is once again summoned for a Test match, he may have to face the most vicious spinners in the world.

Now he has to make the best use of the knowledge and the skills that he has gained in his last 18 months and try to convert them into runs.

When he wrote that he may not fit in, he would fight it out with all his might. Now that his efforts have borne fruit, India would want him to make the best use of the opportunity that has come his way and start his comeback with runs against Prabath Jayasuriya, the spinner from Sri Lanka, when the first Test match commences on August 15 in Galle.

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