Sarfaraz Khan seemed to be a solid contender to make his Test debut in the 2022/23 season and he also made it to the India A squad. The right-handed batsman continued his dream run and finished the Ranji Trophy season with 556 runs in 6 matches at an average of 92.66. While his performances couldn’t earn him a spot in the Test squad, Sarfaraz has now been shockingly ignored for a place in the Irani Cup team as well.
Sportstar has reported that Sarfaraz Khan hasn’t been named in the Rest of India squad for the prestigious tournament. There are many openers in the squad while middle-order batter, Sarfaraz, has been ignored. The BCCI has yet to announce the squad. The one-off fixture is slated to be played from March 1 to 5 in Gwalior.
The update comes as a big surprise as Sarfaraz was close to a Test call-up and now he isn’t even considered for a place in the Irani Cup squad. He played the first Irani Cup of the season against Saurashtra. This year, the Rest of India squad will take on Madhya Pradesh.
The report adds that Mayank Agarwal will lead the team. The out-of-favour batsman is aiming to make his comeback in the Test team. Yash Dhull, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Harvik Desai are among the batters in the squad.
Upendra Yadav, who has been part of the India A squad, is the sole wicketkeeper in the team. Spinner Saurabh Kumar, who has been waiting for his Test since 2022, will also ply his trade for ROI. Pulkit Narang and Mayank Markande are other spinners in the team. Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar and Chetan Sakariya are among the pacers in the squad.
Madhya Pradesh also have a solid squad that includes the likes of Rajat Patidar, Venkatesh Iyer and Avesh Khan among others.
Rest of India squad (reported by Sportstar): Mayank Agarwal, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Harvik Desai, Mukesh Kumar, Atit Sheth, Chetan Sakariya, Navdeep Saini, Upendra Yadav (wk), Mayank Markande, Saurabh Kumar, Akash Deep, Baba Indrajith, Pulkit Narang, Yash Dhull
