Sarfaraz Khan not picked in India A squad to face South Africa A in four-dayers (Image via ANI) Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur has said Sarfaraz Khan does not need India A exposure to play international cricket and says the middle-order batsman can earn a place in the Test side with strong performances in domestic cricket. Sarfaraz, 28, who made his Test debut against England in Rajkot in 2024, last played for India during the home series against New Zealand where he scored a century. He was recently overlooked for India A’s first-class series against South Africa A, sparking controversy and political debates on social media.
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Shardul explained, “Currently, for the India A side, they are looking at guys who want to prepare for international cricket. Sarfraz doesn’t need the India A match to play international cricket. If he gets back to scoring again, he can go straight and play the Test series as well.” The Mumbai all-rounder highlighted Sarfaraz’s recent domestic form and ability to perform under pressure. “He is coming off an injury layoff. But he had scored two-three centuries in the Buchi Babu Trophy before he got injured… It was very unfortunate that we finished but I don’t think playing India A is important for him.” Thakur added that Sarfaraz is a senior batsman capable of delivering in crucial situations. “He has big scores of 200-250s and those innings came when the team was down by two or three quite early in the innings. You have to have something special in you to play those kind of innings under pressure,” he said. Sarfaraz has an impressive record in domestic cricket, with 2,541 runs in the last five years at an average of 110.47 with ten hundreds and five fifties. He scored 371 runs in his six Test career at an average of nearly 40. His last appearance for India A was against the England Lions at Canterbury where he made 92 runs.
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Mumbai started their Ranji Trophy campaign with a first-ever win over Jammu and Kashmir and will next face Chhattisgarh at the BKC Ground. Other matches in Group D include Rajasthan against Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi facing Himachal Pradesh and Puducherry hosting Hyderabad. India’s omission of Sarfaraz also drew reactions on social media, with Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed questioning the omission and linking it to religious bias, while BJP’s Shehzad Poonawalla strongly criticized the remarks, pointing out that several Muslim players were included in the team.
