Sarfaraz Khan namedrops Virat Kohli, breaks silence on improving fitness as BCCI ignores him for ENG Tests

Sarfaraz Khan has always been trolled by his physique, but now Sarfaraz has changed his diet and shed 10kg in two months.

Sarfaraz wasn’t picked up by any franchise for the ongoing IPL edition. He planned his four-month break to work on his physique and transformed into a lean individual.

Read also: "Justice for Sarfaraz Khan"- Twitter reacts to England tour snub despite 10 kg weight loss

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Sarfaraz Khan works on his body

After the last Australian series, Sarfaraz came back home and had nothing to do, and he was also not picked up by any team in the IPL 2025.

Sarfaraz took a one-month rest after the Border-Gavaskar trophy and planned his next two to three months to improve his fitness.

“Kabhi acha hoga kabhi kaharab hoga aapko apna routine follow karna hai. (There will be good days and bad days—you have to stick to your routine,)" Sarfaraz stated.

Sarfaraz followed the same routine every single day, and his mentor, who is his father, also has turf in their home, where Sarfaraz’s father pours water on the turf and then helps his son to practice the swing ball.

Watch the video here:

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Sarfaraz Khan was inspired by Virat Kohli

Sarfaraz Khan was inspired by Virat Kohli's fitness as he learnt many things from him in the IPL and also shared the dressing room with him in the Indian team. Sarfaraz followed the footprints of his idol Kohli.

“Virat bhai ko aap dekh skte ho kitna tez unka footwork hai, unki energy ekdum high rhti h aur yhi chije maine follow kiya hai”, Sarfaraz stated in the video. "Unko IPL me dekha phr India team mein, bhot saari chije seekhne ko mili, maine socha mere pass bhot acha mauka h mai apne me sudhar laa skta hu,” Sarfaraz added.

(“You can see how quick Virat bhai’s footwork is, his energy is always high, and these are the things I have tried to follow. I watched him in the IPL and then in the Indian team, I got to learn a lot of things, and I thought it was a great opportunity for me to improve myself.")

Sarfaraz Khan’s father Naushad Khan also shed 12 kgs in a month. Both father and son train six days a week on their fitness. Sarfarz also worked on his cricketing performance rather than just losing weight.

The father-son duo changed their diet completely as they didn’t consume rice and flour, opting for a rich diet in vegetables and proteins.

Sarfaraz Khan left out of the India squad

India announced the squad for the England tour, and despite Sarfaraz’s transformation, he was not included in the squad.

Shubman Gill was named as the new skipper for the Indian Test team, and Rishabh Pant will be his deputy in red-ball cricket.

Sarfaraz was named in the India A squad against England Lions but was left out of the main squad. He was included in the Australian tour and was performing well in domestic cricket as well.

Karun Nair and Abhimanyu Easwaran have been chosen over him. Easwaran is also handed the captaincy of the India A squad. Nair is making his return to the Indian Test team after nearly nine years.

Sarfaraz made his Test debut in 2024 against England after giving back-to-back match-winning performances in domestic cricket.

Khan scored 371 runs in six Test matches at an average of nearly 40. He played all his Test matches at home and was included in Border Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, but didn’t get a chance to play.