Sarfaraz Khan's Long Winding Road to International Cricket: The Mumbai Batting Sensation Finally Breaks Into India Test Squad

They say that good things take time. Well, it sure took its own sweet time, but it finally arrived for Indian batter Sarfaraz Khan, who finally got a call-up to represent India today.

Sarfaraz will potentially get to represent India in the Test format as the hosts take on England in Visakhapatnam in the second Test of their five-match series.

The news arrived after the BCCI announced that bowlers Ravindra Jadeja and wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul would be ruled out of the second Test owing to injuries.

It has been a long time coming for Sarfaraz, who has been putting up stellar performances in domestic cricket galore, but had also been struggling to break into the ranks to represent India at the international stage.

Why he had not made it to the Indian Test side earlier is a contentious question that has received very few convincing answers.

Sarfaraz has cemented his status as one of the most prolific batters in first-class cricket, where the right-hander has scored 3912 runs in just 45 matches at a blistering average of 69.85.

Yet another shining aspect of his game has been his ability to convert his starts into massive run-churning innings  – he has 14 tons and 11 half-centuries.

Leading up to the England series, Sarfaraz kicked into another gear with sensational knocks against the England Lions. After failing to make an impression in the first innings, he responded with a gritty 96 in the second dig. In the second unofficial Test match, he scored another half-century to remind the selectors of his presence.

Even in South Africa, he showed his class with a magnificent 61-ball century in an intra-squad game in Pretoria.

Preluding to the India-England series, a lot of talk ensued regarding whether or not Sarfaraz would make the cut finally after news of talisman batter Virat Kohli’s absence from the squad for the first two Test matches broke. But, once again, he was snubbed, leaving countless others startled at the decision as well.

Sarfaraz, who was expectedly hurt after being pipped by Rajat Patidar as Virat Kohli’s replacement in the two Tests against England, did the best possible thing — let his bat do all the talking.

Barely 48 hours after receiving his umpteenth snub from the selectors, Mumbai’s ‘run-machine’ Sarfaraz Khan served a stern reminder to the national selection committee with a majestic 161 that put India A in complete command over England Lions on day two of the second ‘unofficial Test’ in Ahmedabad.

While seasoned Abhimanyu Easwaran (58) and left-handed Devdutt Padikkal (105) set the platform with a 162-run opening stand, Sarfaraz took full advantage of good batting conditions looting runs off the Lions spinners, who didn’t have answers to his repeated onslaught.

The innings sure kept Sarfaraz firmly in contention for a Test berth, who now finally gets his chance at the big stage to prove his mettle for all to witness.