Sarfaraz Khan did not get to play at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but rather remained on the bench throughout the competition. He was slotted in the squad for all five games but never saw the field. Now, for the next series, he is not even part of the Test squad, and there is a pang of unfairness in the air. A man who is dropped without the stain of an allegation on his name! Big question: Why? What made the BCCI decide that a man like Sarfaraz was not worthy of a spot in the team for the England tour? Pujara speculates that there must be two or maybe three reasons behind such a decision. The first reason, according to Pujara, is that the selectors perhaps felt that Sarfaraz might not be able to cope well with overseas conditions, which in itself appears to be a justified thought as he was not considered even once during the Australia tour. Puajara said to Hindustan times: “The reason he is not in the squad, I feel, is he has been very successful in the Asian conditions or in India. The management feels that he may not be as successful in Australia or in England.” Then there's the fitness angle. Sarfaraz was never overweight, but he seemed rather far from a proper fitness level and had to work on it. This he carried out, burning 10 kgs through a strict diet before the India A tour starting May 30. Pujara commented: “And there were some fitness issues in the past. I don’t know about his current fitness. But he has been working hard on his fitness also.” Also READ: Ajit Agarkar on Virat Kohli’s Test Retirement Decision On the other hand, maybe the key factor is the form of competing players. Sarfaraz hasn't played any match since November 2024, while the likes of Karun Nair and Shreyas Iyer shone brightly. Among them, only one was picked, but those strong performances could have pushed Sarfaraz away from contention. Puajara added: “I feel it’s a bit unfortunate. But at the same time, someone like Karun Nair, who has performed really well in domestic cricket, deserved an opportunity,”