Team India will play its first red-ball match since their hiatus when they play a four-match series against the formidable Australian squad.
BCCI selector Sridharan Sharath recently addressed the repeated snubs of Sarfaraz Khan, asserting that the Mumbai batsman remains in contention for selection. He further noted that the Test squad for the upcoming Australia series was determined based on the team composition.
Sarfaraz has been amassing an impressive tally of runs for his state team, Mumbai, in Ranji Trophy, matches over the past two seasons, yet he has to make the Indian Test squad. In the 2021-22 season, the 25-year-old was the leading run-scorer, accumulating an impressive 982 runs in just six matches.
He was expected to play in last month's two-match Test series against Bangladesh but was not chosen, and he was also left out of the 17-man squad announced for the first two Tests against Australia. Sarfaraz Ahmed's omission from the Test team against Australia sparked outrage, with many former greats and fans alike lambasting the BCCI's selection committee for overlooking the batter. This decision has been met with widespread criticism, with many questioning the rationale behind the selection committee's decision.
"He is certainly on our radar. In due course, he will get his due. While picking the team, we have to consider things like composition and balance," Sharath told Sportstar.
Sarfaraz is a middle-order batter, and the Indian team's middle order is currently heavily stacked. Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer bat at No. 3-4, with a wicketkeeper-batsman at No. 6. Iyer's availability for the upcoming Test series against Australia is in doubt, as the batter is currently injured. If he is unable to recover in time, Suryakumar Yadav, who received his first India Test call-up for the Australia Test series, could step in.
"Suryakumar Yadav too can take the game quickly away from the opposition. He has different shots to unsettle an attack. Don't forget he has over 5,000 first-class runs," Sharath further added.
India’s Test squad for the first two Tests against Australia: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Suryakumar Yadav.
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