“You can't say he doesn't score” – Former batter reacts to Sarfaraz Khan’s absence from India A squad for South Africa A series

Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif has slammed Sarfaraz Khan’s absence from the India A squad for their upcoming series against South Africa A. The cricketer-turned-analyst added that the Mumbai batter has a tremendous average in first-class cricket over the last few years. The 44-year-old further explained how Sarfaraz has shut the critics on several occasions in the past with his tremendous batting performances.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said on Thursday (October 22):

“You can’t say, he [Sarfaraz Khan] doesn’t score. He scores in all games. If you talk about Ranji, he’s an average of around 100."

"First, there were talks that he’s not fit, can’t run. There were question marks about his fitness. He got himself fit, and then people said that he can’t play fast bowling. Until he scored 150 against New Zealand while playing against fast bowlers, till then he was called a hero in domestic cricket. He proved people wrong.”

Notably, Sarfaraz Khan last played for India in a three-match Test series against New Zealand last year. The middle-order batter returned with scores of 0, 150, 11, 9, 0, and 1 in his six outings. The 28-year-old then scored a brisk 92 while playing for India A during their unofficial Test series against England Lions earlier this year.

After warming the bench throughout the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the wicketkeeper-batter was axed for the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He is currently representing Mumbai in the 2025/26 Ranji Trophy. Overall, in first-class cricket, Sarfaraz has amassed 4,759 runs in 85 innings at an average of 65.19 with the help of 16 tons.

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Rishabh Pant set to lead as BCCI announces India A squad for South Africa A series; Sarfaraz Khan left out

Sarfaraz Khan missed out on a place as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Rishabh Pant will lead the 15-member India A squad for the two unofficial Tests against South Africa A at home. The series also marks Pant's comeback following his injury during the Test series in England. N Jagadeeshan has been picked as the backup wicketkeeper for the opening game.

India A squad for the 1st four-day match: Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), Ayush Mhatre, N Jagdeesan (WK), Sai Sudharsan (VC), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar, Anshul Kamboj, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni, Saransh Jain.

India A squad for the 2nd four-day match: Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Sai Sudharsan (VC), Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.