'They are looking at me more for Indian conditions': Sarfaraz remains hopeful despite continous India snub

Sarfaraz Khan, who made his way into the Indian team on the back of a stellar domestic record, has found himself out of the team for the last two years. He last played for India in 2024, against New Zealand, in a home Test series. The batter was hoping to get selected for the India A Test side ahead of the upcoming Test series in New Zealand but was not picked. The snub, however, has not swayed Sarfaraz from his hard work, which he continues to do in the ongoing Ranji Trophy (India's premier domestic red-ball tournament) for Mumbai.

Sarfaraz opens up on India snub

The batter spoke at length about not being picked for India after Day 1 (Nov 2) of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy fixture against Railways at the Brabourne Stadium. "Whenever a team comes out, I have expectations," he said. "But it's okay. It's in their (selectors') hands whether to select me or not. My job is to play cricket."

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"Everyone knows that I don't have [any other] support in my life. If I have support, it's only from my father. No one has supported me in my life. But it's okay. I worked hard; I fulfilled my father's dream [by playing for India]. It's not easy to play for India, especially in this generation. And it's not like I scored once or twice and played for India. I scored 300, 200, 250 [in domestic cricket] and worked hard and played for India."

Sarfaraz was in the India squad for the Sri Lanka Test series earlier this year but did not get match time. He said: "The selectors didn't say it to me directly, but when I went to the Indian team recently, I heard that they are looking at me more for Indian conditions."

In three matches for Mumbai, Sarfaraz has scored 1, 154, 40, and 55 in the ongoing Ranji Trophy match.

IND A vs NZ A

India is scheduled to play three four-day matches before the New Zealand Tests. Two of them have been completed, and the third four-day match will start on Saturday (Nov 7). Sarfaraz was omitted from the side led by Dhruv Jurel, which also included Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal - the players he is competing with for a spot in the India squad.