![Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1753252076143_ViratKohliSarfarazKhan.jpg?type=mq)
Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com]
If there is one name in Indian cricket that is always in the “why-not-him” conversation, it is Sarfaraz Khan. The man has been stacking up runs in domestic cricket like it’s nobody’s business.
How Virat Kohli’s Words Pushed Sarfaraz Khan To Rewrite His Fitness Story
But there was always one elephant in the room: fitness. And now, with a jaw-dropping transformation, Sarfaraz has shut down the noise and silenced his doubters in style.
Back in the day, teammates used to call him “panda”, partly for his build, partly because he just loved his food. But things hit rock bottom in 2016 when he was dropped from the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad. And who broke the bad news? None other than Virat Kohli. But it wasn’t a dressing-down, it was a reality check.
“I was dropped at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2016 because of my fitness. Virat Kohli told me straightaway while there were no doubts over my skills, my fitness was not letting me get to the next level. He was very honest with me about where I was,” Sarfaraz revealed in an interview with ESPNcricinfo in 2020.
That moment turned out to be the wake-up call he didn’t know he needed.
First Wake-Up Call During RCB days
Sarfaraz made his IPL debut in 2015 under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. For a teenager, that itself was a dream come true. But talent alone wasn’t enough in a setup where fitness was non-negotiable. Kohli’s obsession with training rubbed off on Sarfaraz. T
he real shift came during the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy season, where he went on a run-scoring spree and fans noticed he looked sharper, stronger, and much more agile.
He even joked about the transformation, saying, “They used to call me panda, now it’s macho!”
The 2025 Comeback Trail
Coming to the present, Sarfaraz’s photos have gone viral after another massive fitness transformation. He has not just trimmed down; he has bulked up in all the right places. He is not part of the current Test squad against England, but his new avatar has got everyone talking.
And make no mistake, this isn’t a one-off six-pack show-off. It’s been years in the making. His father and coach, Naushad Khan, spoke about how his son changed his lifestyle from top to bottom, from clean eating to brutal training sessions. Sarfaraz is playing the long game and this could be his big break all over again.
Virat Kohli’s no-nonsense feedback may have hurt back then, but it lit a fire in Sarfaraz. His transformation is about mindset. And if you have followed Kohli’s journey, you will know that’s where everything starts.
Sarfaraz doesn’t just look fitter, he looks hungrier, smarter and more focused than ever. His performances in India A tours and domestic cricket have kept him on the radar. Now, with fitness no longer a chink in his armour, the India call-up once again could be around the corner.
