Shashi Tharoor Blasts BCCI Selectors After Sarfaraz Khan's India A Snub: "Too Quick To Discard Proven Talent"

Sarfaraz Khan, a domestic cricket stalwart, was recently overlooked for the India A vs South Africa A red-ball series, that begins on Thursday. In fact, Sarfaraz had a late debut in Tests despite being among the best domestic players in the country for a long time. So far, the 28-year-old has played six Tests, scoring 371 runs. He has already registered one century and three half-centuries. He last played for India in November 2024 (against New Zealand at home), and since then has been waiting for his next opportunity. On October 21, when the India A squad for two four-day matches against South Africa A was announced, Sarfaraz's name was missing—despite him performing better than most during the India A tour of England earlier this year.

Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, questioned the decision to ignore Sarfaraz.

"This is frankly an outrage. @SarfarazA_54 averages 65-plus in first-class cricket, scored a 50 on Test debut and a 150 in a Test we lost, made 92 in his only tour match in England (and a century in the practice match against the full Indian Test team)—and still finds himself excluded from the selectors' frame of reference," Tharoor wrote on X.

"I am also very glad to see @ajinkyarahane88, @PrithviShaw, and @karun126 making runs in the #RanjiTrophy. Our selectors are too quick to discard proven talent in order to take a punt on 'potential.' These are players who have proven themselves over and over again. Runs in domestic cricket must be valued by the selectors, not just the #IPL; otherwise, why should anyone bother to play the Ranji?"

Sarfaraz has 4,760 first-class runs at an average of 64.32 in 57 matches. He was not picked for the recently held Test series at home against the West Indies. Former India star Ravichandran Ashwin was baffled by Sarfaraz's snub vs South Africa A.

"I can't find any logic behind Sarfaraz's non-selection in the India A side. I feel very, very sad for him. If I were a selector, what would I call and tell Sarfaraz? He has reduced weight, he has scored runs too, he even hit a century against New Zealand. This kind of non-selection leads me to think that someone, somewhere thinks, 'Sarfaraz Khan ko dekh liya, abhi nahi chahiye (We've seen Sarfaraz Khan, don't need him anymore).' He has not been selected in the India A side. What happens to him now? Literally, the door has been shut on him. Where will he perform? Now if he does well in first-class cricket, they will say he is a very good player in first-class, so he won't get an A series. Where will he go and prove his credentials?" Ashwin fumed.

"When such a non-selection happens, it probably feels like someone in the management or the selectors has decided that we are not looking at him anymore."

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