Sarfaraz Khan posted a cryptic Instagram story following his snub from the Indian squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka. He has been out of the national team for two years.
Khan hasn’t played a Test since the New Zealand series at home in late 2024, where he started with a 150 in the first match but he managed only 171 runs across six innings overall in that series. He was in the squad for the Australia tour that followed but never got a game. He has played six Test matches in his career scoring 371 runs at an average of 37.
On Friday, Sarfaraz Khan took to Instagram to express his disappointment after being overlooked once again. He took a clip from the movie Jersey and posted it on his instagram post. The right-hand batter posted a still from the film, Jersey on Instagram with the line: ‘I may not fit in, but I’ll fight with everything I’ve got.’ While he did not add any other caption, fans were quick to understand the context and this went viral on social media.
His first-class numbers are still strong with an average of close to 65, but that has not been enough. The current India setup under Shubman Gill has moved on from Sarfaraz and are looking at Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal as middle order options.
Why Sarfaraz Khan’s Jersey post carries added significance
Fitness has always been a talking point around Sarfaraz, but the Mumbai batter has since made a significant transformation, reducing weight and improving his fitness. He also returned to the IPL in 2026 after going unsold in the previous two auctions. Chennai Super Kings handed him an opportunity and Sarfaraz responded with 161 runs at a strike rate of 169.47, including two half-centuries.
The picture from Jersey has a context because the story is about a player trying to force his way back when the system has moved past him. The last year has been tough for Sarfaraz as he was on the bench for India A at times. He did get a run with Chennai Super Kings in the 2026 IPL after going for his base price, but red-ball opportunities at the top level have been less.
India are currently playing a three-day warm-up game in Colombo ahead of the series, with the first Test scheduled to begin in Galle on August 15 and the second at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. This is a crucial series for the Indian side who are fifth in the WTC points table and will be keen to get full points from this series. They are also stressing on the fitness of Indian captain Shubman Gill.