The South Africa series will begin on October 30, led by Rishabh Pant and Sai Sudharsan as his deputy.
Calling it a tough year for Sarfaraz Khan is an understatement to what he has endured. On the eve of his 28th birthday, the Mumbai player finds himself out of contention. Let alone making the senior India squad, he has been excluded from the India A side as well, which is set to face South Africa in two multi-day matches.
The South Africa series will begin on October 30, led by Rishabh Pant and Sai Sudharsan as his deputy. The senior team will kick off the international Tests on November 14.
Sarfaraz has played only six Tests so far, scoring all 371 runs in India. His solitary hundred came against England in Bengaluru. Coming to his recent participations for India A, he was not a part of the multi-day games against Australia at home, despite impressive weight loss and improved fitness. His image after losing 17+ kgs went viral on social media, amassing praises from most fans and former players.
Previously, Sarfaraz was picked up for India A’s tour to England. He struck a 92 in the first innings of the first match, but he was dropped in the second Test. More recently, he scored 70+ runs across two innings in the Ranji Trophy match against Jammu & Kashmir. Overall, in his FC career of 56 matches, his average shines above 65 with 4,700+ runs. It certainly raises a doubt over why Sarfaraz finds himself at the end of the tunnel with no light to follow.
The right-handed batter holds ample run-scoring credentials, but he has often underperformed on big occasions. He failed to make his opportunities count in an otherwise bloodbath of middle-order talent.
During the recent England tour, Team India struggled with a dependable No.3, juggling with Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair. The wicket-keeping duties were shared by Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel. But with centuries in the recent India and India A games, Jurel has cemented a spot in XI irrespective of Pant’s presence. In such a scenario, for any player to be in the squad need to come with special batting skills, or offer to roll their arm.
Sarfaraz’s on-off selection also takes us back to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. A senior journalist indirectly accused a player of leaking dressing room conversations during the tour.
ALSO READ:
Though nearly impossible to squeeze in, the batter has an off chance to make it to the India A squad. Sarfaraz’s comeback plan should include match-winning knocks for Mumbai in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. He also needs to keep up with his fitness expectations.
Moreover, he should light the world ablaze with his power-hitting in the shortest format and domestic T20 competitions, preferably in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His last stint came with the Delhi Capitals in 2023. He should perform exceptionally well to be picked in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction. In his last run, the DC batter could manage only 53 runs across four games with a strike rate of less than 100.
It’s difficult to say whether the wheel of fortune may move in Sarfaraz’s favour, but the Indian batter should keep working for the miracle.
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, and Saransh Jain.
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, and Akash Deep.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
