NEW DELHI: India and Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan on Saturday insisted he is "not frustrated at all" with his modest run-scoring this season, making it clear that he sees no need to tweak his batting despite a dip in numbers.

Sarfaraz, who was left out of the Indian Test squad, has had a quiet Ranji Trophy campaign so far - tallying just 111 runs in four matches at an average of 22.20, without a single fifty.

The returns are a stark contrast to the extraordinary standards he set in previous seasons. In 2022-23, he amassed 556 runs in six matches at 92.66. The year before, he hammered 982 runs at a staggering 122.75 in six games, and in 2019-20, he piled up 928 runs in six outings at an astonishing average of 154.66.

"I do not think I need to change anything because I am doing good. I have always played a lot of balls (in training) and even now I try to practice as much as I can," Sarfaraz told the media during Mumbai's training session at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

"One cannot score runs in every single match. The past four seasons well and sometimes a batter loses his wicket despite playing well. But we can always get back to scoring runs," he said.

Being left out of the Indian Test side may have played a part, but Sarfaraz maintained he isn't frustrated in the slightest with his current batting returns.

"There is no frustration at all. If you look at my record, I have scored a lot of runs. People have one season in four years where they make a thousand runs but maine chaar-paanch saal daba ke runs banaye hain (I have made plenty of runs for 4-5 years)," he said.

Sarfaraz also lauded his India teammate and Mumbai skipper Shardul Thakur for consistently putting the team's needs above everything else.

"The team always supports and we have a very good captain. Shardul bhai is doing a great job. I was not here for the last two years, I was not playing domestic cricket because I was with the Indian team and I was not here with my team (Mumbai), but the way Shardul bhai is leading, he is doing a great job," he said.

"The coach Omkar Salvi, Atul (Ranade) sir are doing well and they take everyone along. We try and stick together as much as we can, even if we are in Mumbai we stay in the (team) hotel even though our homes are nearby. "

"Our unity is good and after a long time we have a captain who puts the team in front and himself behind," Sarfaraz said.

Sarfaraz praised Shardul for being selfless in his approach to Mumbai captaincy.

"Sometimes, if the wicket is not for fast bowling he would not bowl himself because 'I am the captain and if I take wickets, I also have a career (to look after)'," he said.

"He does not think like that and for the last 10-12 years I have also been playing the Ranji Trophy and this is the difference I have seen that he prioritises Mumbai cricket first and then himself."

"I have played under a lot of captains and with Shardul, the plus-point is that he keeps the team in front. Once you have played for India, you want to have more opportunities in the back of the mind and I must do well to move ahead. But he doesn’t have anything like that in his mind and he keeps the team ahead," Sarfaraz added.

(With PTI Inputs)