June, 2022. A handful of reporters was waiting by the edge of M Chinnaswamy Stadium after the second day’s play of the Ranji Trophy final between Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh. They wanted to speak to Sarfaraz Khan, the centre of most of the whisper and chatter. He quickly wrapped up the broadcasters’ interview, but was intercepted by national selector Sunil Joshi before he could meet us. The two engaged in a fairly long conversation.

Just hours ago, Sarfaraz had stroked a brilliant century against eventual champions Madhya Pradesh, his fourth of the season, and arguably the most important of them all. He comfortably led the season’s run-tally. His first-class average had already climbed into the eighties at that point. It still stands at 81.33, below only Don Bradman in first-class cricket history with a 2,000-run cut-off. The obvious murmurs of a Test call-up that had been doing the rounds were stoked further by Joshi’s chat, but Sarfaraz was happy being in his own bubble.

“I am doing my hard work,” he said. “My only aim is to make runs and justify my father’s perseverance. Each person has dreams and aspirations – we’re slowly realising these dreams of ours. If it’s destined to be… I am doing what is in my hands. Rest is up to the almighty.”

He was overwhelmed when asked about his father Naushad, who is also his coach, who has been with him through all the struggles.“In life, we end up realising some of our dreams, but we miss out on some too. But I am happy I have my father by my side,” he uttered through his tears.

The dreams of wearing the India kit have had to wait. When the selectors named the squads last night, Sarfaraz did not find a spot in the Indian outfit that will tour Bangladesh for two Test matches. You cannot blame 25-year-old Sarfraz for feeling dejected: over the last two Ranji seasons combined, he has scored a whopping 1,910 runs (982 this season, 928 in 2019/20) with seven centuries and four fifties. The average stands at 154.66 in 2019/20 and 122.75 in 2021/22. Such consistency usually ends up in the selection doors needing repairs.

The run-making has been relentless. After the Ranji final, Sarfaraz played three more red-ball series: for India A against the touring New Zealanders, where he stroked 63 in one of the two games, the Duleep Trophy, where he scored 127 not out in his only game, for West Zone against South Zone; and 138 for Rest of India against Saurashtra, last season’s Ranji Trophy champions.

Sarfaraz has checked every box there is, and more, when it comes to sheer volume of runs. He is not a rookie right off the blocks. He first hit headlines at 12 when he set a new Harris Shield record with his 439 for Rizvi Springfield against Indian Education Society, Kandivli. He grew steadily with each passing age group, played two Under-19 World Cups, and made his first-class and IPL debuts at 17.

The future always seemed bright for the teenage Sarfaraz. There have been rocky days in the middle – nearly a silent lull a few seasons ago – but the current version of Sarfaraz is a beast of his own, having done batting wonders few would have dreamt of.

When asked about Sarfaraz in the press conference yesterday, chair of selectors Chetan Sharma responded in a stereotype often reserved for performing youngsters who miss out on selection: “We are giving him the opportunities, where we can. We opted for him in India A squad. I’ve been speaking about him to the selectors as well. He will get an opportunity very soon.” Given the season he has had, Sarfaraz perhaps deserves more than that.

Along his journey into becoming a run-churning machine, Sarfaraz has also allayed the perceptions that have been long attached to his game and seemingly hurt his progress. His fitness used to be a topic of contention years ago, but he seems to have worked hard to dilute it as a valid argument. Speaking to Wisden India in June, Naushad took on those who questioned his fitness: “Do you want him to look fit, or have match fitness, have endurance? If fitness was such a big issue, how come he’s surviving the IPL? They’ve got all sorts of criteria for fitness including Yo-Yo Tests, fielding standards are tested. In Ranji, the kid scores 200-300, bats for two days, and then fields when you’re chasing 600.”

Another long-attached tag has been his temperament, often a loose term to associate with batters who play the game their own way. This is not the 17-year-old boy anymore, scooping bowlers over his head for fun, sometimes losing his wicket silly. This is a man who scores hundreds almost for fun, a compact run-maker with a solid defence game to match his natural run-searching instincts.

The scoop still comes out, even against the red ball, but it is invariably after he has set his eye in. In the 2021/22 Ranji season, he faced 1,412 balls, more than any other batter – and we are talking 38 teams here. After the hundred in the final, Sarfaraz explained how he has grown into a player who wants to stay in and play 200 balls for his 100 runs, gauging at least three to four overs of each bowler before shedding his defensive shield. You would not be close to Bradman’s average if your temperament were off.

India’s Test team is slowly inching towards a transition. Ajinkya Rahane has silently disappeared and Hanuma Vihari is absent, creating a space of sort in the middle order. With Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill all in the mix, and Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja both capable of batting in the top six if needed, the competition is stiff. To think of it, a call-up would not have ensured a place right away for Sarfaraz, but there are enough reasons to believe that it would have been the perfect testing ground in familiar conditions, against a team that has never beaten India in Test cricket.

More than anything, it would have been a richly deserved reward for the 25-year-old. A place in the squad could have been a pat on the back like no other. One hopes the missed opportunity does not dent his confidence of a cricketer in the form of his life. Strike the iron when it’s hot, they say. It has been blazing hot for quite a while.