Sarfaraz Khan subtly jabs Ajit Agarkar’s BCCI selection panel after Ranji Trophy heroics

Sarfaraz Khan for Mumbai and Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir [Source: X]

Sarfaraz Khan, one of India’s rising wicketkeeper-batters who has been out of the national side for quite some time, has opened up about the ups and downs of his life and how he has been consistently overlooked despite a solid run in domestic cricket.

Sarfaraz Khan, who was first spotted during the Under-19 World Cup in 2014 because of his aggressive batting style, is currently playing in the Ranji Trophy Elite 2025–26 and has put up a strong show for himself.

He recently scored a double century against Hyderabad on January 24 to mark a successful Ranji stint and his return to form after over 450 days away from India’s Test whites.

Sarfaraz Khan takes a dig at India selectors

It is interesting to note that Sarfaraz Khan has not received a clear intimation regarding his omission from the India Test squad despite his consistent performances.

However, that has not stopped him from dominating the domestic circuit. On the eve of Mumbai’s final league-round match of the Ranji Trophy tournament, where they will face Delhi, Sarfaraz was asked how he has handled the situation while leading with the bat.

Sarfaraz Khan remained calm and philosophical in his response, stating that he is trying to stay in the present and forget the past, as he does not know what tomorrow holds. He added that he will keep grinding and doing what he has been doing for the past few years.

“I try to stay in the present. I can’t do anything about the past. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. All I know is that I’m going to go home, bat at home, spend time with my father, sleep at the hotel and play the match tomorrow.

I don’t think about the future. I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing for years,” Sarfaraz said.

Sarfaraz backs brother for India debut

Speaking to reporters, Sarfaraz also shared details about working closely with his younger brother, Musheer Khan, and expressed confidence that he will eventually make it to the Indian team. Khan also intimidated that he himself is striving for the white-ball debut himself.

“I’m working hard on my white-ball game. I want to play for India in white-ball cricket and I’m paying attention to that. I’m also working with Musheer. His bowling complements his batting and vice versa. It’s not a big deal for him.

Musheer is going to be the captain of the Indian team one day. I keep an eye on him. He’s young and plays all three formats. When I used to play cricket, my father would go home sad because I couldn’t bowl.

But ever since Musheer started playing, my father knows that if he gets out while batting, he can bowl, and if he doesn’t get wickets while bowling, he can bat,” Sarfaraz added.

Sarfaraz grateful towards CSK

Talking about the IPL, Sarfaraz Khan said he was extremely grateful and thankful to Chennai Super Kings. After being picked by the franchise at the Indian Premier League 2026 auction, Khan admitted that he feels fortunate, as he never imagined playing for the franchise.

“My dream was to play with the legends of this generation. I played with Virat bhai at RCB. I never thought I’d get a chance to play with Rohit bhai, but I did in the Test team. I never thought I’d play with Mahi bhai, especially after he retired from international cricket. But after going unsold, CSK picked me in the IPL. I consider myself very lucky,” he said.

Beyond the IPL opportunity, Sarfaraz Khan also highlighted that many youngsters tend to overlook red-ball cricket these days, with white-ball formats receiving the most attention and importance.

“If you look at youngsters these days, they don’t want to focus on red-ball cricket. But white-ball cricket is also very important,” Khan said.

Nevertheless, even though he is not currently in the national Test side, Sarfaraz Khan will return to the mega franchise league after his 2023 stint with the Delhi Capitals, as he is set to don the yellow jersey for the 2026 edition.