Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai
The last match that Sarfaraz Khan played for India A, he scored 92 against England Lions in Canterbury. It was in the lead-up to the five-Test series against England in the summer. The 27-year-old wasn’t part of the Test side but he played the intra-squad game ahead of the series opener in Leeds and scored a hundred against Jasprit Bumrah & Co.
Four months down the line, Sarfaraz finds himself out of the India A scheme of things. On Tuesday, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee named the India A squads for the two multi-day matches against South Africa A. The likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rajat Patidar have been rewarded for their performances in domestic cricket. Sarfaraz wasn’t considered, notwithstanding an average north of 110 in first-class cricket over the last five years.
In September, when India A played two multi-day matches against Australia A, he was nursing an injury. Now Sarfaraz is fit and he has played Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy opener against Jammu and Kashmir. No explanation has been given as regards his omission from the India A squad.
The snub has baffled former India captain and ex-chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar. “It’s really unfortunate,” he said, speaking to RevSportz. “He (Sarfaraz) is a very talented player and he has performed consistently. I watched him in a Test match against England at Dharamsala (last year) – he and (Devdutt) Padikkal played extremely well in a difficult situation. So I’m a bit surprised. But he is a good player and I’m sure he will get his opportunities very soon.”
Since making his Test debut in February 2024, Sarfaraz has scored 371 runs, including a century and three half-centuries, in six matches at an average of 37.10. After scoring his maiden Test hundred against New Zealand in Bengaluru last year, he had to be taken to the Australia tour. Over five Tests though, he didn’t get a game. Then, even in a bloated squad for the England tour this year, Sarfaraz didn’t find a place. His ability to counter fast bowling away from home was questioned. His fitness was put under the scanner.
Sarfaraz worked on it behind the scenes and shed more than 17 kilos. “He just followed the schedule given to him by the NCA (Centre of Excellence) as far as his fitness was concerned. It was important to bring on that discipline in food habits,” his father, Naushad, told this correspondent a couple of months ago. Is Sarfaraz a victim of perception? Also, after the India A rejection, does he have an international future? “He is young, I expect him to come back very strongly,” said Vengsarkar. “He is a very determined player. I’m sure he will bounce back.”
If Sarfaraz’s omission is due to cricketing reasons, runs would be his only currency going ahead. Mumbai’s next Ranji Trophy match is against Chhattisgarh from Saturday and the batsman will have an opportunity to come up with a response.
‘Don’t dilute Ranji Trophy’
Meanwhile, Vengsarkar urged the BCCI not to schedule India A matches during the Ranji Trophy. “To be honest, it’s wrong on the part of the BCCI to have these ‘A’ team marches when the Ranji Trophy is going on in full swing,” said the former great. “This way you are diluting the Ranji Trophy. Everybody should play it.”
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