Shardul: Sarfaraz Khan Ready for Internationals Without India A Stint if He Scores

Over the past few days, the cricket community has been split over Sarfaraz Khan’s exclusion from India’s A squad for the series against South Africa. Nevertheless, Shardul Thakur, the Mumbai captain and Indian international, emphasized that an experienced player like Sarfaraz doesn’t need the India A platform to demonstrate his capabilities.

“Currently, India A is focused on grooming younger players for international cricket. Sarfaraz is beyond needing India A games to prove himself for international cricket. If he resumes his scoring spree, he can directly be considered for Test series,” stated Shardul.

“Sarfaraz is returning from an injury, but prior to that, he smashed a few centuries in the Buchi Babu Trophy. In the recent match against J&K, he made a solid 42 before, unfortunately, getting run out. For him, playing in India A isn’t essential,” the Mumbai captain mentioned on Friday.

In his last appearance for India A, Sarfaraz scored 92 against the England Lions in Canterbury. Although this series was meant to prepare for the five-Test series against England, the 27-year-old wasn’t selected for India’s Test squad.

Currently, with the Indian team struggling to identify a consistent No. 3 option, there are calls for Sarfaraz to bat higher in the order for Mumbai. However, Shardul affirmed that there would be no changes to the existing “set batting line-up.”

He believes Sarfaraz will regain his form as the tournament unfolds. “He is a veteran player who consistently performs in critical situations. Having scored double-centuries and bigger numbers when the team was in trouble speaks to his capability under pressure. He’s a special player who consistently delivers and racks up significant scores,” Shardul added. “Regardless of the batting position, I’m confident he will perform.