The BCCI’s India A squad announcement for the red-ball series against South Africa A has stirred a storm. Sarfaraz Khan’s omission sparked massive criticism from fans, former cricketers, and experts. Ravichandran Ashwin joined the debate and called the decision a harsh reality for the Mumbai batter. He suggested that the move may signal a dead end to Sarfaraz’s Test career.
Sarfaraz made a strong Test debut against England in 2024 with two fifties. He scored 371 runs in six Tests, including a century against New Zealand. But his poor run in the last two innings, where he managed only 21 runs, hurt his chances. He toured Australia but hardly got time in the nets.
The 26-year-old worked hard to stay relevant. He shed 17 kilograms and smashed runs in domestic cricket. Yet, he didn’t find a spot in the latest India A squad. His exclusion raised serious doubts about the selection strategy.
Ashwin Highlights Poor Communication
Ashwin used his YouTube platform to address what he sees as a clear communication gap between selectors and players.
“The problem is that your communication and selection should match. I remember Subramaniam Badrinath used to play for the India A team and was the captain as well for a long time, but did not get selected. The same happened to Manoj Tiwary. The communication that went through was that ‘we have seen enough of you, and now we want to take a look at fresh faces. So you won’t be playing for the India A team anymore, but if we need you in the Indian team, we will pick you’,” he said.
Ashwin questioned why Abhimanyu Easwaran made the cut while Sarfaraz didn’t. “But if you look at the current India A side, there is a little bit of confusion. If you say we have seen enough of Sarfaraz in India A, and only if we need him will we pick him in the Indian side, then that will be wrong. Because you picked Abhimanyu Easwaran, and he has played enough for India A. However, barring these cases, the rest are all futuristic – Harsh Dubey and Manav Suthar.”
Ashwin said he felt genuinely sad for Sarfaraz, who had already proved himself. “However, when I examine Sarfaraz’s non-selection, I don’t receive any explanation. I am very sad and feel sorry for him. Had I been the selector, what would I have called him up and said? He has reduced his weight, and he has been scoring runs; he also scored a century in his last Test series. And this sort of non-selection leads me to think that someone must have been thinking that we have seen enough of him, and we no longer want him, so we don’t want to go in that direction.”
‘Door Has Been Shut’
Ashwin, who retired in 2024, didn’t mince his words. “If I were Sarfaraz Khan, that is what I would be thinking. He has been dropped from the India A side. It’s literally like the door has been shut. Where will he perform? Now, if he performs well in first-class cricket, they will say he is very good only for first-class cricket. So he won’t get picked for India A now. Where will he go and prove his credentials? Where will he show that he has improved? So, such non-selection feels like someone’s decision, whether from the management side or the selection side, that we are no longer looking at him.”
The move has revived debate around selection transparency and communication clarity. Many believe Sarfaraz’s India A snub may block his way back to the national team.
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