Table of Contents
Sarfaraz Khan has been replaced in the West Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2026-27, just a day after receiving a recall to India's Test squad for the upcoming two-match ICC World Test Championship series in Sri Lanka.
The right-handed batter has been named as Sai Sudharsan's replacement in India's squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, starting on August 15 in Galle. While Sai will continue his recovery from the right toe stress reaction, Sarfaraz got the lifeline to revive his India career.
Sarfaraz Khan replaced a day after India Test recall, Jay Gohil gets big chance
Sarfaraz Khan’s India recall meant that the West Zone had been forced to find his replacement for the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2026-27. Well, the selectors didn’t take much time and named Saurashtra batter Jay Gohil, who was earlier kept among the standby players, as Sarfaraz’s replacement in the West Zone squad for the tournament.
Gohil had a strong 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season for Saurashtra. He scored 523 runs in six matches at an average of 58.11 with the help of one century and four half-centuries. The Duleep Trophy will give Gohil another chance to push his case for bigger opportunities.
#breaking Saurashtra batter Jay Gohil, who was in the standbyes, to replace #SarfarazKhan in the West Zone squad for the #DuleepTrophy. Gohil scored 523 runs in six [email protected], including one hundred & fours fifties for Saurashtra in the 2025-26 #RanjiTrophy season
— Gaurav Gupta (@toi_gauravG) August 10, 2026
Jay Gohil's explosive domestic record earns him big Duleep Trophy opportunity
Jay Gohil had a strong 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season for Saurashtra. He scored 523 runs in six matches at an average of 58.11 with the help of one century and four half-centuries. The Duleep Trophy will give Gohil another chance to push his case for bigger opportunities.
In his last match, the right-handed batter smashed a stunning knock of 98 runs from 111 balls against Chandigarh. He first made the headlines during the 2022-23 season, when he smashed a huge 227 runs on his first-class debut against Assam. Amid this, Kuldeep Yadav to be dropped? India coach addresses spin combination in SL Tests.
Since then, his attacking batting has made him one of the exciting names in domestic cricket. He also smashed one of the fastest fifties in SMAT. Now, he has another chance to impress everyone with his perforamnces in the upcoming Duleep Trophy, starting on August 23.
Sarfaraz Khan's stunning India comeback story
Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Khan has already played in six Test matches for India so far, scoring 371 runs at an average of 37.10. He had to wait for years before finally getting his India chance in 2024. He smashed three fifties against England at home in his debut series. He later smashed a brilliant 150 against New Zealand, even though India lost the series 3-0.
But his form soon dropped. Sarfaraz scored only 11, 9, 0 and 1 in his next four innings. He was picked for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy but did not get a match. He was then left out of India's England tour squad. The setback pushed Sarfaraz to make major changes.
Sarfaraz Khan removed roti, rice, sugar and bakery items from his diet and started eating more grilled fish, chicken, boiled eggs and broccoli and drinking green tea. His weight dropped by around 17kg. The results soon followed. He scored 329 runs in the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, including his first T20 century. He then smashed an Indian record List A fifty in just 15 balls in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
In the Ranji Trophy, Sarfaraz Khan hit an unbeaten 277, his fifth first-class double-century. He scored 429 runs in seven matches for Mumbai at 53.62. With a first-class average of 64.73, Sarfaraz remains one of India's most consistent domestic batters.
After missing IPL for two seasons, Chennai Super Kings gave him another chance for INR 75 lakh. He made impact with a 25-ball fifty on his CSK debut. Now, he earned an Indian recall because of his consistency and hard work after Sai was ruled out of the Sri Lanka series.
