Former Indian player turned analyst Dilip Vengsarkar slammed the team management for consistently excluding the in-form Sarfaraz Khan from the team across all formats. Sarfaraz debuted for India in Tests in the home series against England in 2024 as well. After impressing in his debut series, Sarfaraz scored his maiden Test hundred in the home series against New Zealand later in the year. But, following a few low scores in the subsequent two Tests, he has not been in India’s Test team as well.

Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Khan is coming off a stunning 75-ball 157 for Mumbai in his most recent outing of the ongoing 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy as well. He has been in great form in domestic cricket, averaging 110 at a strike rate of 170.54 in four VHT games as well.

Talking about this, Vengsarkar told TOI: “You know, the thing is, it’s really baffing for me that why he’s not pick in any format for India, when he has done well so consistently, even for India also when he got an opportunity. Such a talent has been ignored and neglected. It’s a real shame! I watched him and (Devdutt) Padikkal batting together against England in Dharamshala (in the fifth and final Test of that series in Jan-Feb 2024). It was a crucial session. They batted beautifully and forged together an important partnership (97 in 132 balls for the fourth wicket), which ultimately helped India win the Test match.”

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“And after that (home series against England), he didn’t get an opportunity (to play another Test). Of course, he was on the tour of Australia (the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy), but he wasn’t given a chance at all. And that really baffles me, because he’s a good enough player to play in all formats of the game,” he shared again.

However, Dilip Vengsarkar called Sarfaraz Khan a match-winner and said that India can only blame themselves if they do not add him to their squads.

“Basically, he’s a match-winner. The beauty of his batting or his mental strength that he can easily adapt to different formats of the game, which is such an important and a great quality of his. I mean, yesterday, Mumbai lost their top-order against Goa, and then he churned out a brilliant knock, which paved the way for Mumbai’s win. It was a match-winning innings. And if you don’t pick match-winners, you can’t blame anybody else, but yourself,” Dilip Vengsarkar concluded.