Mumbai: Middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan on Monday made a startling claim that the Indian team is looking at his services only for Test matches at home, even though he is yet to get a clear word from the powers that be on his role.
Sarfaraz, who made his debut in February 2024, so far played all the six Test matches in his career at home venues. The right-hander was a part of the India squad that toured Sri Lanka recently as a replacement for injured Sai Sudharsan but was never included in the playing 11.
The 29-year-old’s last appearance in India whites came against New Zealand in 2024 at the Wankhede Stadium.
“No selector said this in particular, but when I was with the Indian team, I only heard that they are looking at me more for the Indian conditions,” Sarfaraz told reporters here after the first day’s play of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy match against Railways.
The Mumbai batter, who made a 55 off 100 balls against Railways, found his non-inclusion in squads for away tours perplexing.
Sarfaraz used his hundreds in intra-squad matches in South Africa and England to underline his argument.
“But still I have a question that when I went to South Africa, I made a hundred against the Indian team from 60 balls (off 63 balls) and when I went to England and I scored hundred runs in 60 balls (101 off 76 balls),” he said.
Sarfaraz made a 63-ball hundred for India A against senior Indian side at Pretoria ahead of the 2023-24 tour, a year later he made a 76-ball hundred for India A at the Kent County Ground in Beckenham ahead of a five-match Test series.
However, he was not selected for either of those two senior tours.
“So, it’s not that I have not scored runs outside (of India). I have scored runs. It’s alright, it’s their lookout, it’s their perspective. My job is to play cricket,” he said.
However, the aggressive batter’s last four Test innings produced scores of 11, 9, 0, 1 against New Zealand in Pune and Mumbai in 2024, eventually leading to his ouster.
But he pointed out the difficulty in playing on spin-friendly tracks suddenly after spending time abroad for the debacle in that series.
“When you come back to India to play on big rank turners…yes, you get to the Indian team after so much struggle in domestic cricket, but suddenly you would not be able to perform on such difficult wickets,” he added.