Sarfaraz Khan Likely To Be Released From India's Test Squad For Irani Cup – Report

Star Indian middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, who made his Test debut against England in Rajkot on February 15, 2024, and scored half-century in both innings, is all set to be released from India’s squad for the second Test against Bangladesh, which is scheduled to take place at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur from September 27 onwards.

According to a report in the Times of India on Monday (September 23), Sarfaraz, who missed out on a place in the playing XI for the series opener against Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side in Chennai last week, will be released from the national squad to be available for Ranji Trophy 2023-24 champions Mumbai for their Irani Cup match against Rest of India (ROI). Mumbai is all set to face ROI in the Irani Cup, which is scheduled to take place at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow from October 1-5.

“India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar is keen that, baring any last-minute injuries in the nets or fitness issues to any of the main batsmen in Team India, Sarfaraz should be released from the main squad to allow him to play in the Irani Cup. In any case, it takes just about an hour to reach Lucknow from Kanpur, so Sarfaraz can leave for Lucknow even much after the Kanpur Test has begun,” a source was quoted as saying by TOI.

The addition of 26-year-old Sarfaraz, who has 4183 runs to his name in 50 First-Class matches played so far, will add strength to Mumbai’s batting unit, which is all set to have the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, and Musheer Khan. It will be interesting to see if India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is included in Mumbai’s squad for the match or not.

Shardul Thakur is also expected to make a comeback for Mumbai in the Irani Cup, but star pacer Tushar Deshpande will miss the match as he is recuperating after undergoing surgery following injuries to his ankle and knee.

“Deshpande is unlikely to be available for the next couple of months. He will miss the initial rounds of the Ranji Trophy too. The earliest he may return is for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy in November,” a source said.

Sarfaraz’s younger brother Musheer Khan, who scored a century in the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 final for Mumbai against Vidarbha at Wankhede Stadium earlier this year, is likely to open for Mumbai in the one-off match with Prithvi Shaw.