What is the reason behind Sarfaraz Khan’s non-selection in the India A squad for the South Africa A series?

Indian batter Sarfaraz Khan wasn’t selected in the India A squad for the upcoming two-match four-day series against South Africa A. But what could be the reason behind his non-selection for the two-match series? Let’s delve into the details.

On Tuesday, the Indian national selection committee announced the India A squad for the series against South Africa A. However, the notable omission from the squad turned out to be of Sarfaraz Khan.

On the other hand, the Indian A squad will be led by Rishabh Pant. Sai Sudharsan, the Team India No.3 batter, has been handed the vice-captaincy option. It’s worth noting that Sarfaraz has been constantly working hard on his fitness and has become leaner. 

It’s important to note that the only vacant slot in the Indian Test team at the moment seems to be No.3, which is taken up by Sai Sudharsan. All other batting slots seem to be fixed, which turned out to be one of the reasons behind Sarfaraz’s non-selection.

"Sarfaraz should have a chat with the Mumbai team management and also with their senior-most player Ajinkya Rahane and, maybe, try out batting at No. 3 where he might have to play the new ball. If he keeps batting at No. 5 or 6, it won't help. India have more all-round options for those slots,” a former national selector privy to the developments told PTI.

"Pant, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Reddy... if all are fit and available, they will occupy the middle order, being multi-skilled players. When Pant is injured, it will be Dhruv Jurel batting at No. 5 or 6," he added.

India A squad for the 1st four-day match: Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), Ayush Mhatre, N Jagdeesan (WK), Sai Sudharsan (VC), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar, Anshul Kamboj, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni, Saransh Jain.

India A squad for the 2nd four-day match: Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Sai Sudharsan (VC), Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.

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