Why Sarfaraz Khan can be dropped for India vs England testing

India is in danger of Sarfaraz Khan in the cricket team. The middle-order batsman made his way for the national team last year after working hard in domestic cricket for years. This was his performance against England Lions that made him a place in India’s Test team, and it may be that he would not play against England in the upcoming 5-match tour.

Lack of trust in skills away from home

There is no doubt that Sarfaraz is one of the most talented middle-order batsmen in India. But the selectors do not believe their technique and perhaps even nature. Last year, against New Zealand, he scored a brilliant 150 runs when India was far behind in the match in Bengaluru. This praised him on a large scale. But in the following matches, Sarfaraz scored 21 runs in 4 innings.

Then came the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He was selected for the tour. But the trust was not just there. In situations that aid in speed and boom, their game was not trusted. India played the role of Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurall. They were both to play when Rohit Sharma and Shubman were not available.

Sarfaraz is known for his game against spin. And although his skill against Paes could not be equally good, he was first chosen to play in South Africa. Nevertheless, the management felt that Jurall Perth had a better condition. This suggests that there is not much confidence in his game away from home in motion -friendly conditions.

No match for 6 months

Above all, he has nothing to make a case for himself. Sarfaraz did not play a match in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season. He missed the first phase due to commitments due to India’s Test team and second -stage injury. And he will not play any cricket by the end of May at least when India travels to face the lions of England.

Stringent competition

According to reports, when it comes to selection for India’s test squad for England, Sarfaraz will face tough competition. The Control Board for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking to fill some places in the middle order. There are five names besides Shreyas Iyer, Karun Nair, Sai Sudarshan, Rajat Patidar and Padikkal Sarfaraz.

Names to fill are not spots. Rohit Sharma, Yashsvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are originally confirmed. Then you also have Ravindra Jadeja and Nitesh Kumar Reddy. This means that they need all backups. And all the five batsmen mentioned above have an upper hand on Sarfaraz.

All were extraordinary in the Ranji Trophy, except Padikal. Shreyas did not play all matches, but was extraordinary whenever he took the field. Nair took Vidarbha in his third title and was the fourth highest scorer of the tournament. Reformson also played sporadically, but was the best average of those people. Patidar scored more than 500 runs. And coming back into the dilemma, he was preferred by the management to play in Australia.

Sarfaraz Khan’s competitive in Ranji Trophy 2024-25

Karun Nair and Sai Sudarson County Cricket Experience

To remind you, Sarfaraz did not play in the Ranji Trophy. And has not played a match since November. But it becomes worse. Two of his contestants, Nair and Reformson, have played red-ball cricket in England. Both played at the County Championships in 2023 and 2024. He also had a good record.

Nair played for Northamptonshire, scoring 4 fifties and 2 hundreds (150 and 202). Played for Surrey Surrey, scored 281 runs in 5 matches with 1 fifty and 1 hundred. Sarfaraz has not played first class cricket in England. The matter is extremely weak for their selection, and one can also argue that they should not even consider for England’s India Tour.