Sarfaraz Khan's stunning transformation earns praise from ex-England great, sends message to Prithvi Shaw

Mint

5 days ago

Indian batter Sarfaraz Khan was often under the attack by users on social media for his fitness levels but the 27 year old has answered all his critics with a stunning transformation. The cricketer shared a picture of himself after seemed like a gym session and the difference was immediately noticeable as there was a lot of lost fat throughout his body.
Sarfaraz then revealed that he had lost 17kgs of weight in just 2 months time which is a remarkable number in itslef. Notably, the right handed batter had made his way in the Indian side last year after scoring a mountain of runs in domestic cricket. However, despite his impressive performances in that series, the batter was not part of the Indian team for the five match Test series in England.
Critics argued that Sarfaraz's fitness was a big factor in why he was not preferred by the selectors. With his transformation journey, however, the batter once again found a way in the limelight and earned praise from not just social media users but also former England great Kevin Pietersen.
Kevin Pietersen on Sarfaraz's transformation:
Commenting on Sarfaraz's transformation in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Pietersen wrote, '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!'
However, Pietersen also went on to add a bit of advice for another young Indian batter in his post, noting,
'LFG! 🚀 Can someone show Prithvi this please? It can be done! Strong body, strong mind!' he added.
Unlike Sarfaraz Khan, Prithvi Shaw used to be a staple in the Indian side after he spotted early during the Under 19 days. Shaw first made a name for himself opening the batting for Delhi Capitals in the IPL and then went on to make his debut for India in all thee formats of the game.
In 2019, Shaw was suspended by BCCI for eight months after testing positive for terbutaline, a banned sustance, which he claimed to have ingested via an over the counter cough syrup.
However, in the last few years Shaw's out of field behaviour started gaining prominence as reports started circulating of the batter's disciplinary and fitness issues that eventually saw him getting dropped from Mumbai domestic teams and even led to no buyer bidding for him in the 2025 IPL.
In the recent times, Shaw has vowed to turn things around. During an interaction with News 24 earlier in the year, he said, 'I am on track now. I have gone back to basics now. The hard work I used to do 5 years ago, I think I have started that routine again. I believe in myself. I don't know how many people believe in me or not. But I believe in myself. I know how to get there. That's why I am doing all this,'