Sarfaraz Khan scored 92 against the England Lions in Canterbury during his most recent appearance for India A and he was still recovering at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru when he played against Australia A last month.
Sarfaraz, who turns 28 on Wednesday, was left off of two different squads led by Rishabh Pant when the national selection committee selected the Indian team on Tuesday for the two first-class matches against South Africa A.
Sarfaraz has every right to feel resentful because he recently lost a lot of weight and looks leaner than before, but if one considers the choice from the viewpoints of Ajit Agarkar and the Indian team management, it may not be as contentious as social media suggests.
Pant, who is making a competitive comeback, is expected to bat at number five in both games, which is also his usual permanent position in the Indian squad.
Selectors have the opinion that Sarfaraz should only be considered for the position where the Indian team management is still unsure, which is currently No. 3, where B Sai Sudharsan is attempting to establish himself.
In these matches, Sudharsan will bat at No. 3 and serve as Pant’s deputy for the India A squad.
“Sarfaraz should have a chat with the Mumbai team management and also with their senior-most player Ajinkya Rahane and, maybe, try out batting at No. 3 where he might have to play the new ball. If he keeps batting at No. 5 or 6, it won’t help. India have more all-round options for those slots.
“Pant, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Reddy… if all are fit and available (they) will occupy the middle-order, being multi-skilled players. When Pant is injured it will be Dhruv Jurel batting at No. 5 or 6,” a PTI report quoted a former national selector privy to the developments as saying.
In actuality, Sarfaraz’s four straight failures against New Zealand on rank turners proved to be his undoing and have caused him to fall a little farther down the pecking order.
The only spot left is No. 3, and perhaps the courageous Mumbai batter should take a chance and try out a different slot. The senior Test team has already secured the batting slots of 1, 2, and 4, while multi-skilled players, including batters, hold the spots between 5 and 8.
Two players were selected for the A team ahead of Sarfaraz: Ruturaj Gaikwad, whose abilities in the longest format are widely regarded as indisputable, and Rajat Patidar, who failed to leave an impression during his three Test matches against England in early 2024.
In his last eight innings in the last five first-class matches, which included two Duleep, Irani, and the first Ranji Trophy match, Patidar has scored three hundreds, including a double ton, and three fifties, putting him in the middle of a purple patch. The scores are 125, 66, 77, 101, 13, 66, 10, and 205 not out.
Gaikwad has scored one daddy hundred (184), one near hundred (91) and another half-century in his last three first-class appearances. The selection committee’s opinion on who is more likely to succeed at the higher levels is often more important than a player’s impressive domestic cricket results.
Agarkar’s selection committee may view Patidar and Gaikwad as having greater potential than Sarfaraz.
The Mumbai player must continue to score runs and determine whether batting at number three and possibly facing a nearly new ball under unfavorable circumstances are advantageous to him. Additionally, he would hope that Sudharsan hasn’t solidified his spot in the squad by then.
