New Delhi: Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan was snubbed from India A squad for the South Africa next month even after creating an impact in domestic cricket this year. Sarfaraz, who had performed well in India A team against the England A team prior to the Test series between both the nations earlier this year, could not find a place in the setup.
Sarfaraz who had a good domestic run, also performed well for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy was expected to book a place in the squad but the better performance of players like Rajat Patidar snatched his place. Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur on Friday said that the right-handed batter does not need India A exposure tours and series to play international cricket as he can find his place back with runs in domestic cricket.
Thakur further said that Sarfaraz’s performance at the domestic level will get him a chance on an international tour going ahead. Sarfaraz, who made his debut against England in the Rajkot Test of the 2023-24 season, was part of India’s tour of Australia late last year but was ignored for the Test side since then.
Sarfaraz does not need India A matches: Thakur
‘Nowadays, for the India A side, they look at boys, who they want to prepare for international cricket,’ India all-rounder and Mumbai captain Thakur told the media.
‘Sarfaraz doesn’t need India A game to play international cricket. If he gets back to scoring again, he can straight away go and play Test series also,’ he said.
Even as Sarfaraz failed to covert his starts in the both he innings of the Ranji Trophy match, Mumbai recorded their first-ever victory over Jammu and Kashmir in their first Ranji Trophy match. Further, the Mumbai captain expressed confidence that the talented batter will perform better in Mumbai’s upcoming games in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26.
Referring to him as a ‘senior pro’, Shardul said that Sarfaraz is someone who has the capability of delivering in crunch situations.