Kaif urges focus on cricket after Sarfaraz Khan recalled to India Test squad for Sri Lanka series

Mohammad Kaif said attention should be on Sarfaraz Khan’s recall to India’s Test squad for the Sri Lanka series in Galle, starting August 15, after the 28-year-old was named as a replacement for the injured Sai Sudharsan. Kaif delivered his comments on his YouTube show ahead of the first Test.

Sarfaraz had been out of the senior Test XI since November 2024, when he scored a maiden Test century in Bengaluru and followed it with 150 in the second innings of the Pune Test against New Zealand. He was part of India’s touring party for the 2024-25 Australia tour but did not play a Test, and he later featured for India A on the 2025 tour of England, making 92 in the first-class match against the England Lions but not earning a place in the senior five-Test series.

“I feel that whoever convinced the decision-makers, whether it was the BCCI, the selectors, the coaches or the captain, whoever said that Sarfaraz Khan should be brought back for Sri Lanka because the pitches could be spin-friendly, and he plays spin well and could contribute to India winning there, whoever spoke along those lines, I salute that person,” Kaif said in his YouTube show ahead of the first Test in Galle, starting August 15.

Sarfaraz’s absence from the Test side attracted sustained questioning and media attention, including reports in January 2025 that he was named during a BCCI review meeting in connection with alleged leaks of dressing-room conversations from the Australia tour; that claim was widely reported but remained an allegation. His intermittent selection and long spells out of the team prompted public debate over the reasons for his exclusion.

Domestic form and a fitness change strengthened Sarfaraz’s case for recall: he scored 429 runs in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, and his overall first-class record stands at 5,114 runs at an average of 64.73 with 17 hundreds. He also reportedly lost around 17kg in 2025 and contributed 161 runs in seven innings during the 2026 IPL at a strike rate of 169.47, including a 25-ball fifty against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

“He (Sarfaraz Khan) didn't get consistent opportunities in the team and was even dropped without any explanation. All these things led to rumours and raised several questions: Why isn't Sarfaraz Khan's name coming up? Tell us the reason. Why isn't he playing? No reason was given. His name wasn't even coming up for India A. All these things happened in between. There must have been some reason why he wasn't played earlier. Obviously, it wasn't because he wasn't scoring runs or because his bat wasn't working. He scored runs against New Zealand, including that 150-run innings, and was playing well and was in form. He also scored against England in the debut Test match, so his start was quite good,” Kaif said.

Sarfaraz has played six Tests, scoring 371 runs at an average of 37.10, with one century and three fifties; his recall offers a chance to extend that record and to compete on the spin-friendly surfaces expected in Sri Lanka.