India, Oct. 21 -- Despite tons of runs under his belt in domestic cricket, and a recent fitness transformation, during which he lost 17 kilograms, Sarfaraz Khan has been denied a place in even the India A team, let alone the senior national squad. On Tuesday, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named the squad for the upcoming India A home series against South Africa A, the Mumbai batter failed to make the cut. And the BCCI has yet to reveal the reason.

Sarfaraz has ticked every box to ensure he remains the scheme of things for a spot in the Indian Test squad. Over the last five years, he has scored 2467 runs at an average of 117.47, with ten centuries in first-class cricket. Despite cracking into the Indian side last yea...