Sarfaraz Khan leaves Biryani for Avocado, faces 300-500 swinging balls a day to replace Virat Kohli in India's Test XI

Once criticised for his weight, Sarfaraz Khan has dropped an impressive 10 kilos to make his place in India's Test team permanent since Virat Kohli's retirement

Sarfaraz Khan has been one of Mumbai's most consistent domestic cricket performers; however, the talented right-hander's chances in international cricket have come in patches. Despite playing a 150-run knock against New Zealand in Bengaluru, Sarfaraz, 27, was benched in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Despite having a knack for batting long and making the most of his chances, one of Sarfaraz's constant criticisms has revolved around his weight.

Sarfaraz Khan's determination has seen him lose oodles of weight (AFP)

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar once helped Sarfaraz, defending him from being overweight. However, the batter has vowed to prove his naysayers wrong. Ahead of the England tour that starts next month, Sarfaraz has shed 10 kgs in less than two months. The Mumbai-born batter was recently named in the India A squad for the two matches against the England Lions, beginning May 30. The Hindustan Times spoke to Sarfaraz's father, Naushad Khan, about his son's weight loss journey and preparations for the big tour that lies ahead.

"We have controlled our diet a lot. We have stopped eating roti, rice, etc. We haven't eaten roti or rice at home for 1 to 1.5 months. We eat broccoli, carrot, cucumber, salad, and green vegetable salad. Along with that, we eat grilled fish, grilled chicken, boiled chicken, boiled egg, etc. We are also having green tea and green coffee," Naushad said.

"We eat avocados also. There are sprouts also. But the main thing is that we have stopped eating roti and rice. We have stopped eating sugar. We have stopped eating maida (flour) and bakery items," he added.

Considering the Khan household no longer consumes rice, Sarfaraz has given up his favourite, 'biryani'. The batter has made a conscious decision to stop feasting on chicken and mutton biryani to lose weight and get in proper shape. Naushad also revealed that the entire family has been on a weight-loss journey. He talked about how he himself dropped 12 kgs after being advised by his doctor to do so.

"He has almost lost 10 kgs within 1.5 months. He is working on reducing his weight even further. I have reduced 12 kgs myself because I had a knee issue. So, I also benefited from it. The doctor told me that I have to do a knee replacement. So, I told him that I had to delay it. He told me that I have to reduce my weight for that," he added.

'Sarfaraz playing around 300-500 balls'

Sarfaraz, who had made his Test debut in February 2024 against England, has played six matches for India in the longest format, scoring 371 runs at an average of 37.10. He hopes to perform well in the A tour against the England Lions to make a case for himself to start in the playing XI when first Test begins in Headingley. With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's retirements from Tests, two spots have opened up, and Sarfaraz is eager to latch on to the opportunity. With Kohli gone, India need to fill the No. 4 spot, and while captain Shubman Gill is likely to take it up, Sarfaraz cannot be ruled out to replace Kohli in India's Test XI.

While focusing on his fitness, Sarfaraz remains committed to letting his bat do the talking. He has been dedicating himself to extended batting sessions, working diligently to adapt to the swinging conditions in the UK.

"We leave our house at 5.30 AM in the morning. We then go to the Cross Maidan, which is 15 km away from here. We reach there around 6:15-6:30 in the morning. After that, we do some warm-up, running, fielding, and then we start batting. The entire morning session is of batting with red balls. After that, we come back here around 10:30 in the morning. We have breakfast and then rest," said Naushad.

"We have an artificial turf at our house. We then practice batting on that in the afternoon after getting enough rest. We play 300 to 500 swing balls on that. We play swinging balls on that. After batting, if we get time, we go to the gym. We go to BKC to work out. If we don't want to bat in the evening, we go directly to BKC for swimming and gym," he added.

India A will play the England Lions in two first-class matches. The first match will be played from May 30 to June 2 in Canterbury, while the second game will be played from June 6 to 9 in Northampton. India A will also play the senior men's side in an intra-squad game in Beckenham from June 13 to 16.