Sarfaraz Khan Smashes Maiden T20 Century, Expresses Frustration Over India Snub
On Tuesday, Sarfaraz Khan silenced his critics by scoring his first-ever T20 century during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 group stage clash against Assam at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The Mumbai right-hander has been at the center of discussions since India’s home Test series defeat to South Africa, with many fans and experts questioning his exclusion from the squad despite his prolific run-scoring in the Ranji Trophy.
Notably, the clash with Assam marked Sarfaraz's return to T20 cricket after a two-year gap. The right-handed batter reached his century on the second-last delivery of Mumbai's innings, playing a key role in helping the team set a total of 220 runs. His 47-ball innings featured eight fours and seven sixes.
After reaching his century, Sarfaraz erupted in jubilant celebrations, receiving cheers from the non-striker and the rest of the Mumbai squad.
Prior to the match against Assam, Sarfaraz had recorded only three fifties in the shortest format, with a top score of 67. His latest performance serves as a timely signal to all ten IPL franchises ahead of the upcoming auction scheduled in Abu Dhabi on December 16.
The 28-year-old batter remains overlooked for the national team despite consistently performing well in domestic cricket. Only last year, he scored 150 runs in the second innings of the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand. However, poor performances in the following two matches resulted in his exclusion from the playing XI throughout the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
Sarfaraz was subsequently excluded from the squad for the earlier series against England this year. Although he featured in a match for India A against the England Lions and delivered a strong performance, it was still insufficient to secure his place.
The young player was left out of the home series against both the West Indies and South Africa. Yet, following the setback against the Proteas, calls have intensified for the Mumbai batsman to be included in India’s upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka in 2026.
Suryakumar Yadav underperforms
India's T20I skipper, Suryakumar Yadav, had a subpar outing against Assam, scoring only 20 runs from 12 deliveries, which featured two fours and a six. In contrast, Ajinkya Rahane, opening the innings with Ayush Mhatre, contributed a vital 42 runs off 32 balls, striking six boundaries.
On Tuesday, Hardik Pandya made his comeback to competitive cricket, representing Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Punjab in Hyderabad. He remained unbeaten with a score of 77, playing a key role in Baroda’s successful chase of the 223-run target.
