The Indian cricketing fraternity is still scratching its head upon seeing Sarfaraz Khan snubbed for the two four-day matches between India A and South Africa A. A giant in domestic cricket, Sarfaraz was picked for the India A side on the tour of England, but his absence from the two matches against South Africa A has raised questions over the selectors’ long-term plan for the middle-order batter. As per a report, the return of Rishabh Pant, who has been named the India A captain for the two matches, played a big role in Sarfaraz’s absence from the team.
Looking to force his way back into the national team, Sarfaraz reportedly dropped 17 kg of weight, but his determination still does not seem to have impressed the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee.
As per PTI, Pant, who is making a competitive comeback, will be batting at No. 5 in both games, a position that Sarfaraz was also competing for. Pant undoubtedly is a mainstay in the Indian team’s plans for the longest format, occupying the No. 5 spot. The plan, hence, is not clear for Sarfaraz at the moment.
There is a school of thought among selectors that Sarfaraz should only be tried in the slot where he can potentially play for the national team. That slot is the one-down position, currently occupied by B Sai Sudharsan.
Sudharsan is also a part of the India A team in both the games and is the deputy to Pant and will bat at No. 3 in these games. At present, the selectors have more trust in the Gujarat Titans batter, hoping to groom him into a permanent No. 3 batter in the Test team. With the No. 4 spot held by skipper Shubman Gill, there is no definitive plan for Sarfaraz, who has not done much wrong either.
The Mumbai batter has reportedly been asked to take up the No. 3 spot in the Ranji Trophy team in order to boost his chances for India A and the senior national team selection.
“Sarfaraz should have a chat with the Mumbai team management and also with their senior-most player, Ajinkya Rahane, and, maybe, try out batting at No. 3 where he might have to play the new ball. If he keeps batting at No. 5 or 6, it will not help. India have more all-round options for those slots.
“Pant, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Reddy… if all are fit and available, they will occupy the middle-order, being multi-skilled players. When Pant is injured, it will be Dhruv Jurel batting at No. 5 or 6,” a former national selector privy to the developments told PTI.
Truth be told, Sarfaraz’s four consecutive failures against New Zealand on rank turners did become his undoing and have put him slightly behind in the pecking order.
With batting slot Nos. 1, 2, and 4 now locked in the Test team and Nos. 5-8 belonging to multi-skilled players (including batters), the only place left is No. 3 and, maybe, the gutsy Mumbai batter needs to take a leap of faith and try out a new slot.
With PTI Inputs