Mumbai's right-handed batter Sarfaraz Khan, is reportedly on track to regain full fitness ahead of India's upcoming two-match Test series against the West Indies. He has been sidelined due to a quadriceps injury and is currently undergoing intensive rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence (COE).
Sarfaraz Khan likely to make it to India's Test squad for West Indies series
According to Indian Express report, Sarfaraz is expected to be fully fit by September 29, just a few days before the opening Test against the West Indies begins in Ahmedabad. With his recovery timeline confirmed, the focus now shifts to whether the consistent run-scorer will receive a call-up to the Test squad. Sarfaraz recently missed several key domestic fixtures, including Duleep Trophy matches for West Zone and two unofficial Tests against Australia A, after sustaining his injury during the Buchi Babu Tournament in Mumbai. Despite the setback, he has previously demonstrated remarkable consistency in red-ball cricket.
Despite being left out of the Indian Test squad for the recent tour of England, Sarfaraz Khan seized the opportunity to perform well with the India 'A' team. Overall, his international Test career includes an average of 37.10, featuring three fifties and one hundred. His exceptional talent is further highlighted by a phenomenal first-class average of 65.98. In his last Test series against New Zealand, he impressively notched a century in the very first match.
Sarfaraz was subsequently not included in the squad for the tour of Australia and has since been out of the international setup. However, with Karun Nair's recent struggles in England, there is a growing clamor for Sarfaraz Khan's return to the Test side. The key question facing selectors now is whether they are prepared to hand him a direct spot in the international team, especially considering he has missed crucial domestic matches recently due to injury.
The two-match Test series will kick off from October 2 at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad and then the action will shift to the Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi for the second Test which is scheduled to be played from October 10.
Notably, West Indies have already announced their squad for the India tour.
West Indies' Test squad for India tour:
Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican, Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales