Why was Sarfaraz Khan not selected for India A as well?, The Real Reason

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Why was Sarfaraz Khan not selected for India A as well?: Indian domestic cricket's star batsman Sarfaraz Khan has once again been overlooked by the selectors. This time, he has not been included in the squad for the two four-day matches between India A and South Africa A. Despite his impressive performances for the India A team during the recent tour of England, this decision has raised many questions within the Indian cricket world, and now the possible reason behind this omission has emerged.

Why Was Sarfaraz Khan Dropped from India A

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Main Reason: Rishabh Pant's Return and His Batting Slot: According to reports, a major reason for Sarfaraz Khan's omission from the squad is wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant. Pant is returning to cricket after recovering from an injury and has been named captain of the India A team.

Current Status: Pant's No. 5 Slot

Pant will bat at No. 5 in both matches. This is the same batting position Sarfaraz Khan usually plays at and the reason he earned his first place in Team India. The selectors have preferred Pant over Sarfaraz for this slot.

Sarfaraz's Preparation and Injury Before Selection

Hoping to return to Team India, Sarfaraz Khan lost approximately 17 kg before the India vs. England Test series. However, he suffered a quadriceps injury during the Buchi Babu tournament, which ruled him out of the Duleep Trophy. Now fully fit, Sarfaraz will play for Mumbai in the 2025/26 Ranji Trophy to make his Test comeback.

Selectors' future plans: Try him at No. 3

Another important aspect is the selectors' future plans for Sarfaraz Khan. According to reports, the selectors now want Sarfaraz to play in the slot where Team India truly needs him.

Currently, this slot is No. 3

• The No. 3 slot in Team India is currently held by Sai Sudarshan, and he is being groomed for this role.
• The No. 4 slot is already reserved for Shubman Gill.
• All-rounders like Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Reddy are already in the selectors' preference for the No. 5 to 8 slots.

Since Sarfaraz has primarily batted in the lower middle order (No. 5-6), where all-rounders are already the selectors' preference, it is becoming difficult for him to break into Team India.

Sarfaraz Khan advised to bat at No. 3 in Ranji Trophy

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Sarfaraz Khan has now been clearly advised to speak to the Mumbai team management and captain Ajinkya Rahane and start batting at No. 3 in the Ranji Trophy.

A former selector told PTI, "If Sarfaraz Khan continues to bat at No. 5-6, it will be of no use. Team India already has all-rounders for those slots."

Batting at No. 3 will send a message to the selectors that Sarfaraz Khan is capable of facing the new ball and playing long innings, which could open the doors for him in the Test team.

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Disappointing performance against New Zealand became a weakness

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Sarfaraz Khan last played for India in the 2024 India vs. New Zealand Test series. Except for one brilliant innings, the series was a disappointing one for him as a batsman. He scored 0, 150, 11, 9, 0, and 1 in six innings, respectively. Subsequently, he was not included in the playing XI for the Australia tour, which weakened his claim.

Why was Sarfaraz Khan not selected for India A: Sarfaraz Khan's exclusion from the India 'A' team is not simply a matter of Rishabh Pant's return, but is also part of a deliberate strategy by the selectors. They want to prepare Sarfaraz for the position where Team India needs a specialist batsman. Now Sarfaraz will have to prove himself by changing his role in the Ranji Trophy and performing brilliantly at number 3.

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