My job is to perform on the field: Sarfaraz

Two days after a cryptic social media post triggered speculation about his frustration with the selectors, Sarfaraz Khan chose to dead-bat questions around selection and insisted that his responsibility remains limited to performing on the field.

Speaking on Friday on the sidelines of the jersey launch of Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs — whom he will captain in the fourth edition of the T20 Mumbai League beginning on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium — Sarfaraz refused to be drawn into whether performances in the Indian Premier League now carry greater weight in making it to the national teams.

“Whether it is IPL or anywhere else, if you want to do well in life, you have to perform (well),” Sarfaraz said. “Whether someone notices it or not, that is their job. My job is to perform on the field.”

Sarfaraz returned to the IPL this season after a two-year absence, turning out for Chennai Super Kings and scoring 161 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 169.47 — numbers that reflected a visible shift in his approach.

Sarfaraz admitted that improving his strike rate was the biggest challenge during his comeback season. “The toughest part of returning to (the) IPL was improving my strike rate because that was an issue earlier,” he said. “I worked on fitness, fielding and batting, and I got good results. Whatever improvements are needed in future, I will keep working on them.”

Sarfaraz remained characteristically unsatisfied with his own output. “In cricket, you can never be satisfied,” he said. “Every morning you wake up, you have to work and learn something new.”

Sarfaraz will hope another productive campaign in the T20 Mumbai League helps strengthen his case.