Sarfaraz Khan's India A exclusion because of Rishabh Pant: ‘Talk to Ajinkya Rahane and Mumbai management…’

According to a report in the PTI, Sarfaraz's exclusion was due to the return of Rishabh Pant, who will be making his comeback to competitive action for the first time since being sidelined with a toe injury during the tour of England in late July. With Pant, who has been picked as the captain, back, he will bat at No. 5 in both games - his permanent slot in the Indian team as well, which means even if Sarfaraz was picked, he would have only warmed the bench.

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Does that mean Sarfaraz's Test hopes are over?

Not entirely. The report added that there is a school of thought among selectors that if Sarfaraz can abandon his usual middle-order batting slot and try to establish himself as a top-order batter, there could be a real chance at his return to the Indian team. In the current set-up, No. 3 is the only spot that the selectors aren't quite sure about, although they are willing to give Sai Sudharsan, who has been picked for the India A matches, a long rope to prove his worth at that position. Earlier, Karun Nair was experimented with during the England tour, and the veteran batter failed to impress, after which he wasn't recalled.

"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 won't 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.

The report also highlighted that Sarfaraz's exclusion showed that he has fallen behind in the pecking order to Rajat Patidar, who didn't make an impression when he played three Tests against England in early 2024, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, whose talent many believe is unquestionable. The RCB captain is currently in the midst of an impressive run, having hit three hundreds, including a double ton and three fifties across his last eight innings in the last five first-class games, while his CSK counterpart smashed 184 and 91 and a fifty in his last three first-class outings.

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