Team India batter Sarfaraz Khan flexed his muscles ahead of the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. The first Test is scheduled to begin on Saturday, August 15, at Galle.
Team India players had a jersey photoshoot ahead of the opening Test. Sarfaraz Khan put out his pictures from the shoot on his Instagram profile. Returning to the Test side, he donned the whites and showed off his biceps.
“Getting back to life 🇮🇳#india🏏,” he captioned the post.
Sarfaraz was not part of the initial squad. However, he came in as a replacement for the injured Sai Sudharsan, who has been ruled out of the entire series. The 28-year-old has worked hard on fitness, getting into shape ahead of the Sri Lanka tour.
He has always been criticised for being overweight and being deemed unfit. Nonetheless, taking it in the right spirit, Sarfaraz Khan has shed excess weight, losing 17 kg in a year.
The right-hander did not take part in the warm-up game against Sri Lanka Cricket XI as he joined the squad late after being announced as a replacement. That said, he has not wasted any time since linking up with the team, having hit the nets right away.
Will Sarfaraz Khan feature in the playing 11?
Sarfaraz Khan last played a Test for India in 2024 during the New Zealand series at home. He was part of the squad for the Australia tour but did not play a single game and was sidelined for the subsequent series.
While he has returned to the Test setup after 19 months, it is uncertain whether we would walk into the playing 11 right away. For the number three spot, Devdutt Padikkal presented a strong case in Sudharsan’s absence, scoring an unbeaten 142 in the warm-up fixture. Therefore, he is likely to start at number three.
With a spot remaining at number six, Sarfaraz’s battle is with wicket-keeper batter Dhruv Jurel. Jurel’s recent form could be a matter of concern. However, it remains to be seen who, out of the two, will get the nod. The Mumbai batter has played six Tests so far, scoring 371 runs at an average of 37.10 with a century and three half-centuries.
Edited by Rishab Vm