'I Would Wake Up By 4:15 AM...': How Sarfaraz Khan Improved His Fitness Post India Debut

Considering the workload a modern-day cricketer has to manage, maintaining high standards of fitness level has become paramount if one wishes to play all formats regularly.

Sarfaraz Khan is still a spring chicken as far as his India career is concerned and he’s just broken into the Test side but he understands the rigours of international cricket demand a player to be in top shape.

Keeping that in mind, the 26-year-old didn’t treat his time away from cricket as a ‘break’ but used that space to improve his fitness which involved starting his day long-distance running at 4:30 AM.

“There is nothing called off-season for me,” Sarfaraz told The Indian Express. “I would wake up by 4.15 am and by 4.30 am, I will start the day with long-distance running. It was very helpful to improve my fitness because by the end of the month, I was able to run 5 km in 30-31 minutes.”

“It was my priority and we (his father Naushad and him) put a plan in place. So once I’m done with my running, I would hit the gym. So the first half of the day was allotted for fitness and fielding drills. The batting part would begin in the evening,” he added.

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Sarfaraz made his India debut in February this year, playing in three of the five-match Test series against England at home. He impressed with three half-centuries in five innings as India won the series 4-1.

With his India dream coming true, the middle-order batter’s next focus is on becoming a Test regular.

“My father and I had a dream. It was to play for India and I was able to achieve it against England. But it shouldn’t be the end. Now, I’ve to prolong that dream as long as I can and for that, I have to do a lot of hard work. This isn’t the time to rest. If anything, I’ve to work harder,” Sarfaraz said.

The ongoing Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament in Tamil Nadu is Sarfaraz’s first competitive fixture since March this year and he will be hoping to use the red-ball tournament to get back into some rhythm and make an impression to keep his spot in India’s Test squad.

After Buchi Babu, he will be taking part in the Duleep Trophy where he will turn out for India B under the captaincy of Abhimanyu Easwaran.

The tournament will kickstart India’s domestic season and selectors will be keeping a close watch with several top names set to feature ahead of Bangladesh Tests next month.