Sarfaraz Khan’s India Comeback Hopes Hit A Speed Bump: Ruled Out Of Duleep Trophy For Three Weeks

Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan has suffered a fresh injury setback that rules him out of the Duleep Trophy for around three weeks, just when he was building momentum for a return to the national side. The 27-year-old is undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, according to reports.

Sarfaraz had hit top form in the Buchi Babu Invitational, smashing a counterattacking 111 off 112 balls against Haryana after Mumbai were reeling at 84/4, following an earlier 138 against TNCA XI. Those runs, alongside a widely discussed fitness transformation in which he is understood to have shed about 17 kilos over two months, had placed him firmly back in the conversation for India’s middle order.

The injury now sidelines him from West Zone’s Duleep Trophy semifinal versus Central Zone on September 4, and he will also be unavailable if West Zone progress to the final. It’s an untimely pause for a player trying to convert domestic dominance into sustained India selection.

Sarfaraz last featured in the Indian Test setup during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy window. He has since turned out for India A in England, scoring a century on that tour, but hasn’t been able to nail down a permanent Test spot. In six Tests so far, he has 371 runs, with a century and three fifties.

The right-hander’s recent surge had been built on two pillars: heavy domestic run-scoring and improved conditioning. Family and coaches have spoken about stricter dietary discipline and NCA-guided fitness work that underpinned the transformation. The immediate goal now is straightforward—complete rehab, regain rhythm, and stack up red-ball runs once fit, with an eye on India’s home assignments later this season.

Given the crowded queue for India’s middle order and the selectors’ current emphasis on fitness and recent form, Sarfaraz’s best route back remains the same: turn every domestic chance into a statement.