[Watch] Sarfaraz Khan gears up for Duleep Trophy 2023 after Test snub

Indian batter Sarfaraz Khan failed to make it to the Test squad for India's forthcoming two-match Test series against West Indies.

Fans and pundits alike were surprised by Sarfaraz's non-selection, given that the right-handed batter has a terrific domestic record. The 25-year-old has another chance to strengthen his case by performing well for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2023.

The Mumbai batter has been training hard for the ongoing red-ball tournament. He posted an Instagram story on Wednesday (June 28), giving his followers a glimpse of his recent net session at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Sarfaraz will be seen in action during the first semi-final of the Duleep Trophy. The match is scheduled to be played at the KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur from July 5.

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West Zone squad for Duleep Trophy 2023

Squad: Priyank Panchal (Captain), Cheteshwar Pujara, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harvik Desai (wicketkeeper), Prithvi Shaw, Het Patel (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Arpit Vasavada, Atit Seth, Shams Mulani, Yuvraj Dodiya, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Chetan Sakariya, Chintan Gaja, Arzan Nagwaswalla.

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"I don't believe in all that" - Saba Karim doesn't think Sarfaraz Khan's off-field issues have a role in his non-selection

Following the announcement of India's squads for the Test and ODI series against West Indies, an unnamed BCCI insider told PTI that Sarfaraz Khan was not picked for the red-ball team due to his off-field behaviour.

However, former India keeper-batter Saba Karim believes that it may not be the actual reason behind the snub. Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Karim pointed out that he hasn't heard any such negative things about the batter from the Mumbai team's coach or management, stating:

"I don't believe in all that. I think that's the work of the management and the coach to handle such cricketers if there is any issue like that, but having interacted with Sarfaraz at all, I don't think there is an issue at all. If that is the issue, how come he has been playing regularly for Mumbai? [We have] not heard anything from the Mumbai coach or the captain or the management."

Karim added:

"He has been playing regularly, he has been fit, he has played most of the matches, and he has played all format matches for Mumbai, as well as the Rest of India or zonal levels. And he has done well in all those matches. That, in my mind, cannot be the ground for non-selection."

It is worth mentioning that Sarfaraz Khan has delivered consistent performances for Mumbai in domestic cricket. The talented youngster has amassed 3,505 runs in 54 innings at an average of 79.65 in first-class cricket.