Gayle Backs Sarfaraz Khan for India Test Spot, Dismisses Weight Concerns

Former West Indies batter Chris Gayle has voiced his disappointment over Sarfaraz Khan being consistently overlooked for India’s Test squad. The veteran opener feels that the youngster has done more than enough to break into the national side and deserves a proper run to prove himself.

Despite showing strong form in domestic cricket and working hard on his fitness, the Mumbai batter was not picked in the squad for the five-match Test series in England. Prior to which, he was included in the squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy held in Australia in late 2024 and early 2025, but couldn’t break into the playing eleven in any of the five matches. Sarfaraz made his Test debut at home against England in February 2024 and announced his arrival with twin half-centuries in Rajkot.

“I mean, he should be in the Test side. He should be in the Test squad at least. Scored a century against New Zealand at home, not in the squad. I saw a post a couple of days ago. He lost weight. The weight wasn’t even, nothing was wrong with his weight or anything. He’s just fine. He was still scoring runs,” Gayle said on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel.

He also highlighted Sarfaraz’s exceptional record in domestic cricket and criticised the selectors for ignoring his performances despite his big scores. Recently, he struck back-to-back centuries in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament, against TNCA XI and Haryana, respectively and averages 65.98 in first-class cricket.

“The man scored triple centuries in first-class cricket. So if they’re using that against him, that’s sad. They should never use that against him. That youngster should have been a part of the squad 100%. India have so much talent, but give the man a run,” he added.

Sarfaraz has played six Tests so far, scoring 371 runs at an average of 37.10, including three fifties and a hundred. However, he last featured for India against New Zealand in November 2024 and hasn’t been part of the playing XI since then.

In the warm-up games leading to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Sarfaraz impressed by hitting 92 runs in the first innings of an unofficial Test against the England Lions.

To improve his chances of a comeback, Sarfaraz is reported to have lost nearly 17 kilos in recent months. India’s upcoming two-match Test series against the West Indies begins on October 2, and given his rich form, Sarfaraz could find a way back into the team.