Sarfaraz Khan and the long wait for justice in Indian Test Cricket

Sarfaraz Khan in the Indian jersey [Source: X]

Fortune favours the brave. But that is not the case for everyone in the Indian cricket team, definitely not the 28-year-old Mumbai-born Sarfaraz Khan. The baby-faced domestic cricket grinder is yet to get the proper recognition he deserves in the Indian cricket team, and time is not in his favour.

Sarfaraz Khan smashed a double hundred in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy while playing for Mumbai on January 24, and it has been almost 450 days since he last appeared in Indian Test whites. The fat to fit journey, the painful training days at Azad Maidan is yet to be paid off.

Sarfaraz Khan’s journey in the Indian whites

Sarfaraz Khan first debuted for India back in the England series in February 2024, and since then, he only featured in 6 Test matches, including the New Zealand series in October-November 2024.

Resembling the height of the ‘Little Master’, Sarfaraz, the wicketkeeper-batter, was a nifty one in his debut series. He averaged 50.00 from his 5 appearances, having 200 runs in his bag.

Following that, the New Zealand series saw him open with a bang. 150 from 195 deliveries in the Bengaluru Test, but a string of failures after that. Figures of 0, 9, 11, 1, 0 were glaring at his stat card.

The comeback after the setback

India is a land of opportunity, but Indian cricket isn’t. You fail, you leave. With a pool of talent waiting outside the queue, Sarfaraz had to give up his bat alongside some criticism on his weight, fitness awareness and flexibility with wicketkeeping. Nevertheless, Khan was sidelined then. But, he bounced back.

Reduced his weight, went to the gym to get back on track and did whatever it needed to silence the critics. An India A vs England A clash saw him score 92 runs in May 2025. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 was his magnum opus for the year in his comeback.

Khan averaged 65.80 in SMAT 2025 at a strike rate of 203.09 while having three half-centuries and one century in the tournament. Playing Ranji Trophy since October 2025, Sarfaraz has been gritty. He scored 405 runs at an average of 57.86 with figures of 67 and 42. But he is overlooked, and he will be overlooked again.

Is the inclusion of Sarfaraz Khan practical in the current Indian Test team?

India is saturated with wicketkeeper-batters in the Test frame, with names like Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant at the forefront. India aggressively pushes for all-rounders at No. 6 or No. 7 now; in that place, Sarfaraz replacing Nitish Kumar Reddy or Washington Sundar will simply be a waste of opportunity.

In that case, Sarfaraz, in place of Jurel can be a gem of an opportunity. Dhruv Jurel didn’t impress in the South Africa Test series as he managed only 29 runs from his four innings.

Given the current setup of the Indian cricket team, Sarfaraz Khan back in the frame as the secondary wicketkeeper-batter choice after Rishabh Pant might be gold.

Gautam Gambhir & Co. is most likely looking at a seasoned Test veteran waiting for his opportunity in the national setup once again, but they just don't know it yet.