Shardul Thakur Backs Sarfaraz Khan to Return to Test Side Without India A Stint

Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur has thrown his weight behind teammate Sarfaraz Khan, insisting that the middle-order batter doesn’t need India A exposure to make a comeback to the national Test side.

Sarfaraz, who made his Test debut against England earlier in 2024, has not featured in the format since October last year, when India suffered a 3-0 defeat to New Zealand at home. Despite touring Australia and England with the India A side, the 27-year-old has been omitted from the upcoming India A series against South Africa A, starting next week.

“Nowadays, for the India A side they look at boys who they want to prepare for international cricket,” Thakur said ahead of Mumbai’s second-round Ranji Trophy fixture. “Sarfaraz doesn’t need an India A game to play international cricket. If he gets back to scoring again, he can straightaway play a Test series.”

Sarfaraz, returning from an injury layoff, made starts in both innings during Mumbai’s 35-run victory over Jammu and Kashmir in their opening Ranji Trophy clash, scoring 42 and 32.

“He is coming from injury, but before that, he scored a couple of centuries in the Buchi Babu Trophy,” Thakur noted. “Against J&K, he had a nice 40-odd before being run out unfortunately. For him, I don’t think India A games are important. He’s a senior pro — whenever he steps onto the field, he delivers in crunch situations.”

Praising Sarfaraz’s ability to play under pressure, Thakur highlighted his knack for producing big innings when the team is in trouble. “He has played innings of 200 and 250 runs when the team was two or three down early. To do that, you have to be special. He’s one of those players who never disappoints and always puts up big scores,” Thakur said.

Mumbai’s next Ranji Trophy encounter will be against Chhattisgarh, who were beaten by Rajasthan by nine wickets in their opening fixture.