Top 4 experts who slammed Sarfaraz Khan's exclusion from India A squad for South Africa series ft. Sunil Gavaskar

Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan was ignored as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced two 15-member India A squads against South Africa A for two practice matches. While the series marks Rishabh Pant’s comeback after recovering from an injury, the selectors picked N Jagdeesan as the reserve wicketkeeper for the first game. Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel has been included for the second practice game as the reserve keeper.

The latest move raised eyebrows as Sarfaraz slammed 92 runs in his last outing for India A, which came against the England Lions earlier this year. While the 28-year-old missed out on the Australia A unofficial Tests due to an injury, he was available for the first-class matches against South Africa A. The right-handed batter is currently playing for Mumbai in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. He returned with scores of 42 and 32, respectively, against Jammu & Kashmir in their opening game of the season.

Sarfaraz’s omission comes despite his prolific record in first-class matches. The middle-order batter has amassed 4759 runs in 56 games at an average of 65.19, including 16 tons and 15 half-centuries.

Notably, Sarfaraz Khan got a taste of international cricket nearly two years ago. The wicketkeeper-batter made his Test debut against England in February 2024. He, however, hasn’t played a game since India lost the home Test series against New Zealand. He amassed 371 runs in six Tests at an average of 37.10, including a ton and three half-centuries.

The prolific run-scorer was benched during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy before losing his place for the 2025 India tour of England. Back then, Karun Nair replaced him for the England Tests but failed to deliver, losing his place for the recently concluded home Tests against the West Indies. All of a sudden, N Jagadeesan suddenly turned out to be the new reserve wicketkeeper.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Aakash Chopra, and Mohammad Kaif have sharply retorted at the selectors’ decision to axe him from the India A squad against South Africa A.

Top 4 experts who slammed Sarfaraz Khan's exclusion from India A squad for South Africa series ft. Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar has slammed the selectors for ignoring Sarfaraz Khan, while lauding him for his 150 in the second innings of the opening Test against New Zealand on a spin-friendly wicket. The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the wicketkeeper-batter hasn’t gotten enough opportunities in the last 12 months, urging the selectors to handle him well. He told India Today:

“I think it would have been good if the selection committee had told why he was not considered. Hopefully, they've conveyed to him. Because only last year, he got 100 against New Zealand on a pitch where not too many others got runs. He got 140 or 150. So, he is capable of batting and scoring runs at the highest level.”

"He hasn't really got the opportunities. You could say whether it was in Australia or England, he wasn't even in the squad. Maybe because of injury, but whatever the reason that he has not been picked up, which has not been made public, as long as he's been told why, and therefore he has the opportunity to get better, that would be a good thing to do. About his ability, everybody has seen the runs he has scored, everything, so, hopefully the selection committee has been in touch with him," he added.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his surprise at Sarfaraz Khan’s axe from India squad A while citing his weight transformation and 150 against the Kiwis last year. The former cricketer warned that the selectors have seemingly closed the door for the wicketkeeper-batter. He said on his YouTube channel (via NDTV):

“I can't find any logic behind Sarfaraz's non-selection in the India A side. I feel very, very sad for him. If I were a selector, what would I call and tell Sarfaraz? He has reduced weight, he has scored runs too, he even hit a century against New Zealand. This kind of non-selection leads me to think that someone, somewhere thinks, 'Sarfaraz Khan ko dekh liya, abhi nahi chahiye (We've seen Sarfaraz Khan, don't need him anymore).'”

“He has not been selected in the India A side. What happens to him now? Literally, the door has been shut on him. Where will he perform? Now, if he does well in first-class cricket, they will say he is a very good player in first-class, so he won't get an A series. Where will he go and prove his credentials?” he added.

Mohammad Kaif

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif also retorted sharply against Sarfaraz Khan’s snub from the India A squad for the South Africa A series. While crediting him for his physical transformation, the cricketer-turned-analyst pointed out that Sarfaraz proved his critics wrong with his maiden century against New Zealand last year. With plenty of runs under Sarfaraz Khan's belt, Kaif feels that the axe doesn't make any sense to him. He said on his YouTube channel:

“You can’t say, he [Sarfaraz Khan] doesn’t score. He scores in all games. If you talk about Ranji, he’s an average of around 100."

"First, there were talks that he’s not fit, can’t run. There were question marks about his fitness. He got himself fit, and then people said that he can’t play fast bowling. Until he scored 150 against New Zealand while playing against fast bowlers, till then he was called a hero in domestic cricket. He proved people wrong,” he added.

Aakash Chopra

Former India Test opener Aakash Chopra feels the selectors’ decision to exclude Sarfaraz Khan from the India A squad is a big question mark. The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the wicketkeeper-batter has enough runs and experience under his belt to be a regular in the A side. He said on his YouTube channel:

“His name should come whenever an India-A team is selected. His name is not there for both matches. Why is it not there? It's a big question. I am sure there is communication, and if there is no communication, I will be very, very sad and disappointed. I really hope those conversations are happening. It's extremely necessary to explain to Sarfaraz the roadmap for him.”

“He wasn't selected for some time after he returned (from England), as he was injured. That's understandable, but he is playing now. In my opinion, it does not matter whether he scored runs in the Ranji Trophy or not because he has been in the original squad. He has been part of the Indian Test team,” he added.

Sarfaraz Khan is likely to be next seen in action against Chhattisgarh, beginning on Saturday (October 25).