India, Aug. 11 -- Sarfaraz Khan's return to the India national cricket team's Test squad has been a long time coming. The Mumbai batter was brought back into the setup after Sai Sudharsan was ruled out of the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, but this comeback has been built on far more than an injury replacement. Sarfaraz has shed 17kg over the past 18 months and worked extensively on his fitness and batting, including gruelling training sessions at the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium in Kashmir after Mumbai's monsoon made regular outdoor practice difficult.

For Sarfaraz, this recall is another chapter in a comeback that has demanded patience, hard work and a willingness to make significant changes. After spending time in Kashmir, he trained ag...