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Star batter Sarfaraz Khan's omission from India A's 15-member squad for the two-match unofficial Test series against South Africa A at home raised everyone's eyebrows. This decision immediately ignited widespread criticism, with social media users vehemently expressing their displeasure and showing no mercy to the selectors for once again ignoring the 28-year-old.
R Ashwin shocked over Sarfaraz Khan's exclusion from India A squad
Sarfaraz's continuous snub is becoming an enduring mystery. Despite boasting a stellar domestic cricket record, he has consistently been overlooked for the senior Indian team. Now, to add to the puzzle, he's also been excluded from the India A side. He last represented India in November 2024 against New Zealand at home and has since been waiting for his next call-up, with no clear explanation for his prolonged absence.
Not just the fans and cricket pundits, even India's legendary spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is surprised over Sarfaraz's exclusion. Ashwin suggested that the consistent decision to drop Sarfaraz could unfortunately mean that the Indian Team Management has already started thinking beyond him.
"I can't find any logic behind Sarfaraz's non-selection in the India A side. I feel very, very sad for him. If I were a selector, what would I call and tell Sarfaraz? He has reduced weight, he has scored runs too, he even hit a century against New Zealand. This kind of non-selection leads me to think that someone, somewhere thinks, 'Sarfaraz Khan ko dekh liya, abhi nahi chahiye (We've seen Sarfaraz Khan, don't need him anymore).' He has not been selected in the India A side. What happens to him now? Literally, the door has been shut on him. Where will he perform? Now if he does well in first-class cricket, they will say he is a very good player in first-class, so he won't get an A series. Where will he go and prove his credentials?" Ashwin questioned while speaking on his Youtube channel.
"When such a non-selection happens, it probably feels like someone in the management or the selectors has decided that we are not looking at him anymore," he added.
Sarfaraz Khan's impressive career
Sarfaraz began his Test career with a bang, making his debut for India in the home series against England last year. He immediately impressed by scoring fifties in both innings of his first appearance. Overall, he has played six Tests for the country, accumulating 371 runs, which includes a century scored in his last series against New Zealand in November 2024. However, the positive narrative surrounding him shifted dramatically in his final two Test appearances, where his form dipped, yielding just 21 runs, including a duck. Despite this slump, he was selected for the subsequent tour of Australia. Yet, on that tour, he faced an unforeseen challenge: he barely got an opportunity to bat, sometimes not even getting a decent knock in the nets.
The Mumbai batter remained in the selectors' sight and was later picked for the India A team's tour of England, where he delivered a score of 92. Determined to improve, he spent the summer rigorously training, shedding 17 kilograms to look leaner and fitter than ever. This fitness translated into form, as he notched consecutive centuries in the pre-domestic-season Buchi Babu tournament. Unfortunately, an injury forced him to miss the Duleep Trophy and consequently the home Test series against the West Indies. Although he subsequently cleared the fitness test, Sarfaraz was still not considered for the upcoming India A series against South Africa A set to begin next month.
Sarfaraz's first-class record speaks for itself, he has amassed 4,759 runs at an exceptional average of 65.19 across 56 matches. In the six Tests he has played, he scored 371 runs, featuring one century and three half-centuries. His recent exclusion from the India A squad comes after he was also not selected for the recent home Test series against the West Indies. Ironically, all the aforementioned performances and numbers couldn't guarantee Sarfaraz a place in India A squad.
India A squad for the 1st four-day match:
Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), Ayush Mhatre, N Jagdeesan (WK), Sai Sudharsan (VC), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Anshul Kamboj, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni, Saransh Jain.
India A squad for the 2nd four-day match:
Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Sai Sudharsan (VC), Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
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