Sarfaraz Khan's Bold Declaration Amid On-Field And Off-Field Struggles: "Daba Ke Runs Banaye Hain"

India and Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan said on Saturday that he isn't "frustrated at all" about not scoring as heavily this season as he usually does in domestic cricket, adding that there is nothing he needs to change in his batting. With his omission from the Indian Test side in the background, Sarfaraz has endured a tough Ranji Trophy season so far, managing only 111 runs in four matches at 22.20 and without a single fifty. The right-handed batter's returns are indeed low for the lofty standards he set in the Ranji Trophy in the seasons preceding his India Test call-up. He scored 556 runs in the 2022-23 season in six matches at 92.66, piled up 982 runs in 2021-22 at 122.75 in six matches, and before that he smacked 928 runs in the 2019-20 season in six matches at 154.66.

"I do not think I need to change anything because I am doing well. I have always played a lot of balls (in training) and even now I try to practice as much as I can," Sarfaraz told the media during Mumbai's training session at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

"I do not think I need to change anything because I am doing well. I have always played a lot of balls and even now I try to practice as much as I can," the right-handed batter said ahead of the clash against Pondicherry.

"One cannot score runs in every single match. The past four seasons have been good, and sometimes a batter loses his wicket despite playing well. But we can always get back to scoring runs," he added.

Being excluded from the Indian Test side could also be a factor, but Sarfaraz said he is not frustrated at all with his returns with the bat. "There is no frustration at all. If you look at my record, I have scored a lot of runs. People have one season in four years where they make a thousand runs, but maine chaar-paanch saal daba ke runs banaye hain (I have made plenty of runs for 4-5 years)," he said.

Sarfaraz heaped praise on his India teammate and Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur for putting the team ahead. "The team always supports us and we have a very good captain. Shardul bhai is doing a great job. I was not here for the last two years; I was not playing domestic cricket because I was with the Indian team and I was not with my team (Mumbai), but the way Shardul bhai is leading, he is doing a great job," he said. "Coach Omkar Salvi and Atul Ranade sir are doing well and they take everyone along. We try to stick together as much as we can; even if we are in Mumbai we stay in the team hotel even though our homes are nearby."

"Our unity is good and after a long time we have a captain who puts the team in front and himself behind," Sarfaraz said. He praised Shardul for being selfless in his approach to Mumbai captaincy. "Sometimes, if the wicket is not suited for fast bowling he would not bowl himself because 'I am the captain and if I take wickets, I also have a career (to look after)'," he said. "He does not think like that, and for the last 10-12 years I have also been playing the Ranji Trophy, and this is the difference I have seen: he prioritises Mumbai cricket first and then himself."

"I have played under many captains and with Shardul, the plus-point is that he keeps the team in front. Once you have played for India, you want more opportunities in the back of your mind and I must do well to move ahead. But he doesn't have anything like that in his mind and he keeps the team ahead," Sarfaraz added.

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