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Last updated on - January 1, 2026, 5:59 PM IST
By
Sruti Thakur
Sarfaraz Khan's outstanding form in white-ball cricket has once again grabbed everyone's attention over his continued omission from the Indian team, despite producing several impactful performances in domestic cricket.
Over the years Sarfaraz has slammed 16 centuries in first-class cricket at an impressive average of 63.15 and has ammased 4,863 runs in 60 matches.
Sarfaraz played a sensational knock of 157 off just 75 balls against Goa in the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Wednesday, an innings which included nine fours and 14 sixes.
Sarfaraz's explosive knock powered Mumbai to a massive total of 444, as the Shardul Thakur-led side went on to secure an 87-run victory over Goa.
Sarfaraz amassed 329 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 203.08 and an average of 65.80 in SMAT 2025. His run included a blistering unbeaten 100 off 47 balls against Assam and a rapid 73 off just 22 deliveries against Rajasthan. He also smashed an 18-ball fifty against Haryana, the fastest ever by a Mumbai batter in SMAT, before surpassing it with an even quicker 15-ball half-century against Rajasthan.
Former India cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar made a bold remark after Sarfaraz was ignored by the team management over the years, "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. 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 (Sarfaraz made 56, while Padikkal scored 65 as India won by an innings & 64 runs)."
Vengsarkar, expressed his disappointment over Sarfaraz's continued exclusion and said, "It's a shame that a talent like Sarfaraz has been ignored and neglected. 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. Such a talent has been ignored and neglected. It's a real shame!,"
Sarfaraz has represented India in six Tests, and scored a total of 371 runs at an average of 37.10 and strike rate of 74.94, with 150 being his highest score.
Praising the Mumbai batter's versatility and calling him a "match-winner," Vengsarkar said, "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."
Naushad Khan on his son's white-ball skills, "It's great to see Sarfaraz doing so well in white-ball cricket. He's in a different zone currently. He's fit both mentally and physically. I hope that he keeps performing like this in future too."
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