Sarfaraz Khan marks India return with Instagram post alongside father Naushad

New Delhi: Sarfaraz Khan marked his return to the Indian Test squad by sharing a picture of himself in the team’s training kit alongside his father and former club cricketer and coach Naushad Khan on Instagram, after being recalled as a replacement for injured Sai Sudharsan for the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka.

The last time Sarfaraz was selected for India’s squad was at the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, a series which India lost 4-1. He has been left out of the Test team since then, even though he has a very good first-class record. As a right-handed batsman, he has scored heavily in domestic cricket, with an average of 64.73 from 62 first-class matches, but has played only six Tests for India. His most recent match in the format was in November 2024.

The fact that he was left out of the India A team for the series against South Africa A caused a stir, especially since the senior side then lost the two-match Test series 2-0.

Sarfaraz is returning following Sai Sudharsan’s exclusion from the Sri Lanka series due to a stress reaction in his right toe. The BCCI stated on Sunday that the left-handed batsman had made some progress with his recovery but would still not be fit for the two-Test series.

The BCCI stated that Sai Sudharsan will not be taking part in the Test series against Sri Lanka. The left-handed batter, who has been at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru, has made considerable progress in his recovery from the right toe stress reaction and is recovering nicely. The BCCI Medical Team are keeping a close eye on his progress.

“Sai Sudharsan has been ruled out of the Test series against Sri Lanka. The left-handed batter, who has been at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru, has made significant progress in his recovery from the right toe stress reaction and is recovering well. The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring his progress,” the BCCI said in a statement.

“The Men’s Selection Committee has named Sarfaraz Khan as a replacement for Sai Sudharsan for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. He will link up with the Indian squad in Colombo before the team travels to Galle for the first Test match, starting August 15, 2026,” it added.

Sarfaraz might still have to wait until his turn to play in the playing eleven, since Devdutt Padikkal had a good performance in India’s warm-up game, which took place on Sunday, and that performance could affect the team managers’ choice regarding the batting order for the first Test.

IANS