Sarfaraz Khan is in unfamiliar territory. The batter who once turned Ranji seasons into personal run-fests is suddenly staring at a string of low scores, 111 runs in four games, no fifties, and an average that sits miles below the standards he set.

The pressure around him has thickened, yet Sarfaraz stands firm.

“I do not think I need to change anything because I am doing good. I have always played a lot of balls (in training) and even now I try to practice as much as I can,” he said at Mumbai’s training session at Wankhede Stadium.

He made 556 runs in 2022-23 season in six matches at 92.66, piled up as many as 982 runs in 2021-22 at 122.75 in six matches, and before that, Sarfaraz smacked 928 runs in the 2019-20 season in six matches at 154.66.

Now, with his Test omission still fresh, the narrative around him has shifted but Sarfaraz refuses to internalise the noise.

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

“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,” he said.

For now, Sarfaraz has turned his focus back to Mumbai, a team he rejoined after two years spent largely with the Indian setup.

“The team always supports and we have a very good captain. Shardul bhai is doing a great job. I was not here for the last two years… but the way Shardul bhai is leading, he is doing a great job,” he said.

“The coach Omkar Salvi, Atul (Ranade) sir are doing well and they take everyone along. We try and stick together as much as we can… Our unity is good and after a long time we have a captain who puts the team in front and himself behind.”

Shardul’s intent, Sarfaraz says, is visible in the smallest choices.

“Sometimes, if the wicket is not 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)’,” Sarfaraz said. “He does not think like that… he prioritises Mumbai cricket first and then himself.”

“I have played under a lot of captains and with Shardul, the plus-point is that he keeps the team in front. Once you have played for India, you want to have more opportunities… But he doesn’t have anything like that in his mind and he keeps the team ahead.”