Playing his 50th Test (and first in Pakistan) after a near four-year hiatus, Sarfaraz Ahmed justified his selection with a resolute 84 in his comeback innings. The manner of his return might be harsh on the player he replaced, but Sarfaraz has earned his comeback to the side, writes Aadya Sharma.

“I felt like I was on my debut”.

35-year-old Sarfaraz Ahmed was especially nervous when he came out to bat for the 87th time in Tests. “If someone checked my heartbeat, the meter would have burst”, he later said. A wristy tap down the ground for four – off his second ball – would have eased him up a bit. He looked up in the air, soaking in the sun. One of Pakistan’s most influential cricketers this century had just scored his first Test runs at home.

It’s not the first time Sarfaraz has had to wait for his time. For the first seven years of his international career, he was barely a regular. After a one-off Test in 2010, he didn’t play another until 2013, and only three others until January 2014. It felt like a generation had passed since Sarfaraz, as a teenager from Sindh, had led Pakistan to the 2006 U19 World Cup. But then things changed. A permanent wicketkeeping spot and another ICC title later, Sarfaraz had made himself a part of Pakistan’s celebrated history.

Barely two years later, Sarfaraz was staring at an uncertain future again. He was unceremoniously sacked as captain from all three formats (as often happens with Pakistan after World Cups). The poor numbers did not help: as skipper, he averaged 25.81 in Tests, down from his overall number of 37. It’s still been eight years since he scored the last of his three centuries. Around the same time, Mohammad Rizwan shot to fame and his stock kept rising. It didn’t take long for Sarfaraz to become an afterthought.

But he was still around. When Azhar Ali, his successor, was under fire, Sarfaraz publicly supported him, tweeting him to “stay strong”. From being captain, to backup, to being squeezed out of all squads, he briefly disappeared. Last year, he was demoted to Category D in the central contracts. But he was still around. There were no jibes, no cryptic tweets, no television tirades.

The route back for Sarfaraz would have been through domestic cricket, and he embraced the challenge. After being dropped from the Test team, he played seven games for Sindh in the 2019/20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, hitting a hundred, two fifties, and averaging 48.37. In this year’s edition, he hit a century and three fifties, averaging 43.77 from eight games. Fortunes went the other way for Rizwan, the incumbent Test keeper. Even as his T20I stature grew by leaps, the Test numbers wavered. Since his century against Australia in March, he hadn’t crossed fifty in 12 innings.

And so, Sarfaraz returned, having swam both upstream and downstream on destiny’s tides. He had the numbers; under the new selector, he had the backing too. Old-fashioned hard work had borne fruit: there were no complications, no clashing egos, no fall-outs. After a resolute, four-hour-long 86 on comeback, he hailed Babar – with whom he shared a 196-run stand – for helping him through: “When I went in, Babar gave me a lot of confidence. As a senior player, he guided me… see, at that time, I needed that confidence. When you’re playing your comeback match, it feels like your first game. Babar gave a lot of confidence”.

It’s difficult to say what it means for the future, specifically for the wicketkeeper’s slot. Rizwan himself was one of the first ones to congratulate Sarfaraz as he walked back. In a way, it was probably unfair to sack Rizwan in this manner – you’d want to back your premier wicketkeeper through a tough ride, especially when he’s been merrily stacking runs in other formats. Last year, he averaged 45.50 with a century and two fifties. Wishfully, you would like to see them both on the same side.

Shoaib Malik even suggested Sarfaraz should return to the ODI setup ahead of next year’s World Cup. Still in the middle of his comeback Test, Sarfaraz would probably be looking to take it one step at a time. It’s an important chapter in his career, coming at a rather crucial juncture for Pakistan cricket. As a batter, he is still capable, as a wicketkeeper, still able. An under-fire Babar, who guided Sarfaraz through his comeback innings, might not mind a bit of feedback for his own. The future could see its own twists, but so far, it’s nice to see Sarfaraz around.