Rishabh Pant has provided Sarfaraz Khan with a chef who is taking care of his food: Suryakumar Yadav

After New Zealand inflicted a hefty lead of 356 runs over the hosts, the Indian batters had a huge task to surpass the deficit and fetch something out for bowlers to defend. While Sarfaraz Khan and Virat Kohli saw through Day 3, the former and Rishabh Pant’s 177-run stand provided a glimmer of hope for the Indians. Moreover, Sarfaraz notched up his maiden Test ton, scoring 150 runs.

His partner in crime on Day 4, Pant was equally effective in his 99 runs knock and the duo were clinical while running between the wickets. After Sarfaraz’s splendid inning, India’s T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav has shed light on how Pant assisted the youngster off the field to shed some extra pounds and obtain a fitter physique.

“Sarfaraz is working on his fitness with the Indian team strength and conditioning coach, and Rishabh (Pant) has provided him with a chef who is taking care of his food. The intent is that by the time he reaches the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, his body is in better shape. Fitness is important in this sport. As he gets older, his body will change. He is working hard now; he will be fine in the future,” said Suryakumar as quoted by News18. 

I have never seen Sarfaraz skipping practice: Suryakumar

Notably, Sarfaraz Khan is coming off a brilliant double hundred in the recently concluded Irani Trophy. The Mumbai batter is known to play marathon innings while not compromising on his attacking batting approach. Suryakumar further dissected that the batter is different from what he seems physically at the outset. He added that the right-handed batter can churn out ‘Daddy Hundreds”.

Also Read: Sarfaraz will give migraines to Australian bowlers: Manjrekar

“His body type might make him look fat, but if you ask him to bat 450 balls and score double hundred, triple hundred, and Daddy hundred, he has that skill. I think the team has a similar demand to make big hundreds, play game-changing knocks. I have never seen him skipping practice, even on match day. If there is a game, he will get up at 5 am, bat for one hour near his home, and then join the team bus. After the game, he will go to the nearby ground and bat again,” Suryakumar concluded.