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On July 21, Sarfaraz Khan's photo after weight loss went viral on social media. Sarfaraz was often criticised for his weight. He was dropped from India's Test squad without a chance in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2025 on Australian soil. After getting ignored by selectors, Sarfaraz worked on his fitness and lost 17 kgs. The transformation impressed former England cricketer and Delhi Capitals (DC) mentor Kevin Pietersen. The cricketer-turned-commentator wants someone to show Sarfaraz's transformation to discarded India star Prithvi Shaw who was dropped from Mumbai's Ranji Trophy squad due to fitness issues.
"Outstanding effort, young man! Huge congrats and I’m sure it’s going to lead to better and more consistent performances on the field. I love the time you’ve spent reorganising your priorities!" Pietersen wrote on X.
"LFG! Can someone show Prithvi this please? It can be done! Strong body, strong mind!"
Shaw's diminishing returns, teams losing patience
Last year, in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, Shaw remained unsold despite a base price of Rs 75 lakh. Even when players got injured, he wasn't called by any of the franchises. Shaw had represented DC for seven seasons. They ran out of patience with the former Under-19 World Cup-winning captain.
No place for Sarfaraz in senior side
Sarfaraz has played six Tests so far and scored 371 runs from 11 innings at an average of 37.10, including a century and three fifties. After his 150 in Bengaluru, he scored 21 runs from next four innings against New Zealand. He was picked in India's squad for Australia tour but did not get to play a match. The only game he played in Australia was the pink-ball game against Prime Minister's XI where he departed for 1. In the clash against England Lions, he scored 92 for India A. He also scored a blazing century in the intra-squad game but the selectors had already picked the Test squad.
He will be seen in action in Duleep Trophy as it returns to the zonal format. Ahead of the home Test series against West Indies, Sarfaraz will have a chance to prove his mettle again.
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