BCCI issues official statement on Sarfaraz Khan after India A snub

The BCCI on Tuesday announced the India A squads for two four-day matches against South Africa A, scheduled at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Notably, Sarfaraz Khan, who last represented India in the home series against New Zealand in November 2024, was excluded from both matches.

Sarfaraz Khan recently returned to competitive cricket for Mumbai during their Ranji Trophy 2025-26 opener against Jammu and Kashmir. The right-handed batter recorded scores of 42 and 32 across the two innings in Mumbai’s victory. Notably, he recently lost a lot of weight and looks fitter than ever in his career.

Sarfaraz Khan’s Exclusion from India A Squad Raises Eyebrows

Sarfaraz Khan’s continued omission from India’s squad has raised questions. The 27-year-old scored 92 against the England Lions during India A’s England tour and an unbeaten century in an intra-squad match featuring Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

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Sarfaraz Khan has been one of India’s most consistent red-ball performers, amassing 2,467 runs over the past five years at an average of 117.47, including 10 centuries and five fifties.

However, the young batter struggled in recent outings for India, scoring 11, 9, 0, and 1 in Pune and Mumbai against New Zealand on rank turners. Despite traveling to Australia for the Test series, Devdutt Padikkal (who wasn’t in the original squad) and Dhruv Jurel were given opportunities ahead of him.

Sarfaraz Khan Omitted from India A Squad to Focus on Ranji Trophy

According to a report by The Times of India, Sarfaraz Khan’s omission from the India A red-ball squad is not the end of his Test prospects. The selectors reportedly want him to gain consistent match practice in the Ranji Trophy following his injury.

There was consideration for his inclusion in the second match, but key players like KL Rahul preferred to participate to prepare for India’s upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa at home.

“It’s not correct that he's not even in the scheme of things for the Indian Test team, or the doors have been closed on him. He’s a talented player. The reality is that the selectors want to ensure that Sarfaraz gets to play as many matches in the Ranji Trophy as possible after his return from injury," a source in the BCCI told TOI.

"He would’ve missed the next few rounds of the Ranji Trophy had he been included in this side. There was a thought to include him in the side for the second match, but then all the India players, like KL Rahul, are keen to play in that game to gain match practice ahead of the home two-Test series against South Africa.”

Teenage Opener Ayush Mhatre Receives Unexpected India A Selection

Ayush Mhatre earned a surprise call-up to the India A squad. The teenage opener scored just 38 runs at 12.66 in two U-19 Tests against Australia and 10 runs at 3.33 in three Youth ODIs.

However, his father, Yogesh Mhatre, described the selection as a “Diwali gift.” He thanked the selectors for giving his son a platform to prove himself. Yogesh admitted that Ayush’s personal form in Australia had been underwhelming.

"It's a surprise Diwali gift for us. It's a golden opportunity for him. This season isn't going great for him, but he's still been given a good platform to perform. I must salute the selectors' thinking behind investing in him," Yogesh Mhatre told TOI.

"Ayush wasn't scoring runs in Australia, but was happy that India won all the matches on that tour. The players were also happy with his captaincy," he added.

Also read: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma dissed in the press by Gautam Gambhir's right hand in team India