Sarfaraz Khan’s desire to play with Mahendra Singh Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings is fueled by his purple patch across formats, but he claims he has also learned the lesson of not looking too far ahead.
Sarfaraz didn’t have much time to prove himself in the Tests, and he believes it’s crucial to live in the moment even when it seems like the door is closed on him for the time being without sufficient justification.
“I try to stay in the present. I can’t do anything in the past. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” PTI quoted Sarfaraz as saying in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Sarfaraz seemed to have reached a low point when his well-known massive runs in red-ball cricket vanished, returning to the grind of domestic cricket, where he had recently ruled the roost. He persisted, though, and improved his game and conditioning to score runs once more in both white-ball and red-ball cricket. In his last match, Sarfaraz scored his fifth double century against Hyderabad and reached the milestone of 5,000 runs in first-class cricket.
“All I know is that I’m going to go home. I’m going to bat at home. I’m going to spend time with my father. I’m going to sleep at the hotel and play the match tomorrow. I don’t think about the future. All I know is that I’m going to do what I’ve been doing for years. I’m going to practice and I’m going to improve,” he said.
The 28-year-old also feels “very lucky” to have been signed by CSK, where he will be in the same dressing room as the great Dhoni.
“I consider myself very lucky. I never thought I’d be able to play for CSK. My dream was to play with the legends of this generation. Like Virat (Kohli) bhai, I played with him in RCB. I had never played with Rohit (Sharma) bhai and I never thought I’d get a chance to play with him. But then I played with him in the Test team.”
“(And then) I never thought I’d get a chance to play with Mahi bhai (Dhoni) when he left the Indian cricket team. But after going unsold (in auction), CSK took me to the IPL. I consider myself very lucky,” Sarfaraz said.
Sarfaraz has broadened his horizons by wanting to represent India in white-ball cricket.
“I’m just focusing on my hard work, batting freely and on power hitting. I’m not thinking about anything else. I want to play for India in white-ball cricket and I am paying attention to that,” he said.
Sarfaraz has been sharing the Mumbai dressing room with his younger brother Musheer, who, unlike him, is developing into an all-rounder across formats. He stressed the importance of possessing multiple skills.
“I’m also working with Musheer on his bowling and his batting. (One day) Musheer is going to be the captain of the Indian team,” Sarfaraz expressed.
Sarfaraz stated that it’s not an easy challenge for Indian players who have to go through the fitness work and rehabilitation process at Bengaluru’s Centre of Excellence, even though he has worked hard to reduce a significant amount of weight since leaving the Indian dressing room.
“In NCA, it’s very tough. You’re alone there. The travelling (time to the venue) is also long. It’s a 40-45 minute journey from the city to the airport.”
