India, Aug. 10 -- For Sarfaraz Khan and his father Naushad, the road back to the Indian Test team has been long enough for a little poetry. Hours after Sarfaraz earned a recall to India's Test squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, a video of his father reciting a shayari went viral on social media. And considering everything the Mumbai batter has endured during his time away from the national side, Naushad's words carried considerably more meaning than a conventional congratulatory message.

"Suraj, bhale nikla hai kai raaton ke baad, lekin mehnat ko milta hai hamesha kismat ka saath," Naushad said in the video. Translated loosely, the message was simple: the sun may have taken many nights to rise, but hard work eventually find...