Sarfaraz Khan played a 92 runs knock off 119 balls against the England Lions in the first unofficial Test at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury on Friday. It was a strong response from the right-hander after being overlooked for India’s five-match Test series against England.

Sarfaraz, who put up solid performances in domestic cricket, was not considered for India’s tour of Australia in November-December, which they lost 1-3. Now, he has been overlooked again. However, the right-handed batter did not let that get to his head, as he played the knock studded with 13 boundaries, showing his red-ball prowess in English conditions.

Sarfaraz made his Test debut against England in February 2024, scoring half-centuries in the Rajkot and Dharamshala Tests. In October, he smashed 150 against New Zealand in Bengaluru in the second innings. However, he failed to retain his form in the next four innings before being excluded from the playing XI.

The chief selector of India, Ajit Agarkar, announced an 18-member India squad recently for the five-Test series in England. While Shubman Gill has been named India’s new Test captain following the retirement of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant has been named his deputy.

Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan have been selected ahead of Sarfaraz. While the duo have done well in domestic cricket, Sarfaraz's exclusion raised eyebrows as he has also put up commendable performances in domestic cricket.

When asked about the decision to leave Sarfaraz out, Agarkar responded: “Sometimes you just have to make good decisions. Sarfaraz, I know he got a 100 in the first Test and then did not get runs. Sometimes it is decisions the team management takes."

Agarkar also justified the inclusion of Karun Nair over Sarfaraz: “At the moment, Karun has scored heaps of runs in domestic, has played a bit of Test cricket, played a bit of county cricket. With Virat not there, clearly we’re lacking a bit of experience. We felt his experience could help,” added Agarkar.

India’s five-match Test series in England will begin on June 20 in Leeds.

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