Sarfaraz Khan is invited for the first Test against Bangladesh which kicks off Thursday in Chennai. The Mumbai batter made his international debut earlier this year against England but didn’t get a chance to share the dressing room with captain Virat Kohli who missed the series due to personal reasons.
Sarfaraz Khan, in anticipation of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, looks forward to having sessions with the former India captain. He spoke highly of Kohli during an interview with Jio Cinema where he described him as “unparalleled in his zeal or enthusiasm”.
“Whenever I saw him during pre-match meetings he would come out leading all players telling them how many runs he will make from specific bowlers and break down their style of play for all,” Sarfaraz told JioCinema.
“To have such gutsiness to be able to stand in front of everyone like this and say positive things only to go out there tomorrow and do it is something very rare,’ added the speaker.”
During the period between 2015 and 2018, Sarfaraz was a part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League and he recounted on his first meeting with Kohli and noted that he had always wished to share dressing room with the master batsman for Team India.
“My first meeting with him was at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. I had scored 45 runs off 21 balls here and he bowed before me. It was a great day for me! If I ever get to play for Team India, I hope one day it will come true when I share an Indian dressing room with him,” said Sarfaraz.
In IPL 2015, Sarfaraz, who was only 17 years old then, hit a breathtaking 21-ball 45 helping RCB post a total of 200 for 7 wickets against Rajasthan Royals. After Sarfaraz finished his innings without being dismissed, Kohli congratulated him by smiling widely at him and making some wonderful gestures as well.
For years now, Sarfaraz remembers learning the importance of having a routine and self-awareness by observing Kohli at Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
“He has clarity in his playing style. He understands what must constantly be done by players, and thus any form of feedback (positive or negative) should not affect their game; ‘This is my job I have to do this at dawn, during mid-day hours and then during the night before going to bed.’ I have learned this much from him,” he stated
