Despite some outstanding domestic performances, Sarfaraz Khan was not named to India’s Test squad for the first two Tests against Australia in February. Suryakumar Yadav, a senior batter and Mumbai colleague who is already a regular in the T20I side and part of the ODI system, was instead included to the squad.
Sarfaraz has now stated that the selection of 32-year-old Suryakumar, who has yet to play a Test for India and made his international debut in 2021, has served as an inspiration for the young batter. Sarfaraz further stated that he has a close relationship with his “friend” Suryakumar.
“Obviously it is (on his selection being inspirational). Suryakumar is a good friend of mine. And we spend a lot of time together when we are in the team together. I get to learn a lot of things from him. He had to wait for a long time but the way he has been playing, he has taken on his experience together, so that makes things easy,” he told journalist Vimal Kumar.
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Sarfaraz, 25, has scored over 900 runs in each of the last two Ranji Trophy seasons and has three centuries to his record in the current 2022-23 season. Despite this, the middle-order batter has found it difficult to break into the national team because to the high level of competition.
Sarfaraz expressed his unhappiness in an interview with the Times of India after being overlooked by the selectors for the Australia series.
“When the team was announced and my name wasn’t there, I was very sad. Anyone in my place in this world would’ve been sad, because I had expected to be picked, but wasn’t (chosen). Yesterday, I was sad the whole day, when we travelled from Guwahati to Delhi. I was thinking about what and why it happened. I was feeling very lonely. I cried too,” Sarfaraz had said.
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