Due to a quadriceps injury, Sarfaraz Khan will not be playing for the West Zone throughout the entire Duleep Trophy 2025. At the All India Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament in Chennai, Sarfaraz was lately surrounded by activity. He had made a fantastic return by smashing two consecutive hundreds in the local event. At the board’s Bengaluru facility, the BCCI Centre of Excellence, he is presently undergoing rehabilitation.
The 27-year-old batsman was expected to play for the reigning champions West Zone in their semi-final matchup with Central Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground B in Bengaluru. The crucial four-day match is planned to begin on September 4. He will not be participating in the domestic red-ball event, though, due to the quadriceps injury.
Sarfaraz will not be able to make it to the final even if West Zone defeats the Dhruv Jurel-led team in their semi-final match since he is not anticipated to recuperate in time. The Mumbai native needs at least three weeks to get back on track for the crucial domestic season, according to insiders. However, he is expected to return starting on October 15 for Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy campaign.
Five days ago, Sarfaraz scored a century against Haryana in the Buchi Babu match, but he sustained a quadriceps injury. According to a report by The Times of India, a source verified that he is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the CoE and will be gone for about three weeks.
Shivalik Sharma, a batter for Baroda, may take Sarfaraz’s place.
Shivalik was listed as one of the backups for the tournament’s West Zone setup. In 18 First-Class games, Shivalik has amassed 1,087 runs at an average of 43.48, with three hundreds and five half-centuries. In seven games during the previous season, the right-handed batter averaged 44 runs with 484 runs.
India recently toured Australia and England, but Sarfaraz was left out. Despite scoring a strong 92 for India A against the England Lions, he was not included in the squad for the UK tour. He is coming off of strong form in the Buchi Babu, where he scored a commanding 114-ball 138 against the TNCA XI for Mumbai and a run-a-ball 111 against Haryana.
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