Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has sympathized with young batter Sarfaraz Khan after he was excluded from the India A for the two unofficial Tests against South Africa, which will begin on October 30. On Tuesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 15-member India A for the unofficial four-match day matches against South Africa A, which will be played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

Rishabh Pant is set to make a comeback as vice-captain, while Sai Sudharsan was appointed as vice-captain. However, the major talking point from the squad announcement was the exclusion of Sarfaraz Khan from the South Africa A series. There has been a massive debate on social media, with many questioning his omission despite consistent performances in domestic cricket.

Sarfaraz, who is currently part of the Mumbai team in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025/26 season, missed out Duleep Trophy and the West Indies Test series due to a quadriceps injury sustained during the Buchi-Babu Tournament in August this year. Though the 27-year-old made a comeback for the Ranji Trophy season, he was still overlooked for India A squad selection.

'Communication and Selection Should Match'

Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been quite vocal on several occasions, highlighted the lack of communication between the selectors and players, citing the example of former cricketers S Badrinath and Manoj Tiwary to stress that selectors gave clear reasons for their exclusions, unlike now, where inconsistent communication has left players like Sarfaraz Khan uncertain about their future.

“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',” veteran Indian off-spinner said on his YouTube channel (19:56)

“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.” he added.

Sarfaraz Khan's last India A appearance was in the first unofficial Test against England Lions at Canterbury, where he scored 92 runs in the first innings. Sarfaraz was picked for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but did not get a single match and was then snubbed for the Test series against England.

Ashwin Clueless over Sarfaraz's Exclusion

Further speaking about Sarfaraz Khan's exclusion from the India A squad, R Ashwin has felt 'sorry' for the young batter's snub, adding that the Mumbai cricketer ticked all the boxes, including losing 17 kilos, to make his comeback to the Indian Test team.

“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,” Ashwin.

“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,” he added.

Sarfaraz Khan boasts an impressive record in first-class cricket, accumulating 4,791 runs, comprising 16 centuries and 13 fifties, at an average of 65.19 in 56 matches. Despite having a batting average of 65, the young batter could not find a place in the India A squad.

In his Test career, Sarfaraz has aggregated 371 runs, including a century and three fifties, at an average of 37.10 in six matches. His only century against New Zealand at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, scoring 150 off 195 balls in the second innings.

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