Sarfaraz last played for India against New Zealand in November 2024, a series that saw India suffer their first home series loss in 12 years. Suddenly, Sarfaraz Khan is back in the conversation. After spending most of the last two years outside the national team, Sarfaraz Khan received a call-up for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka after Sai Sudharsan failed to regain fitness in time. The defeat was also India’s first-ever whitewash at home.
He had made his Test debut earlier that year against England at home.
After spending most of the last two years outside the national team, Sarfaraz Khan received a call-up for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka after Sai Sudharsan failed to regain fitness in time
Sarfaraz was also named in India’s squad for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour of Australia but did not get a game. In six Tests and 11 innings for India, he has scored 371 runs at an average of 37.10, including a century and three fifties, with a best score of 150. Because of Sai Sudharsan’s injury, sarfaraz came into the squad.
India great Ravichandran Ashwin says the Indian team management, led by captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir , should communicate properly with Sarfaraz. You need to tell him that he can serve the team in sub-continental conditions,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, Ash Ki Baat. There is buzz around whether Sarfaraz should be preferred over Dhruv Jurel in a middle-order role. “I’ll start with Jurel. The messaging is very important for Sarfaraz. If you feel he is a suspect in certain conditions, you need to give him clarity. “I would tend to think that in a Test match, you will have to go for the specialist. Dhruv Jurel has done well as a wicketkeeper-batter. He gets some runs. But this man has also done well, the young boy Sarfaraz Khan. So, I think if you have picked him in the side as a specialist batter for Test cricket, I would rather go with him. “But he is also a very good player of spin. He can be an attacking option.
Meanwhile, former India batter WV Raman said he would prefer Sarfaraz Khan over Dhruv Jurel in the side’s playing XI for the first Test against Sri Lanka, starting in Galle on Saturday, citing the visitors’ need for a frontline batter in the middle order who can attack the hosts’ spin bowling line-up. The other thing that he will bring to the table is that he is also a good close-in catcher, and that is perhaps something that you would need, especially if Sri Lanka dishes out a turning track,” Raman told IANS in an exclusive conversation facilitated by Sony Sports Network on Thursday.
