Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has said that Abhimanyu Easwaran deserves to be in the playing XI before Sai Sudharsan, adding that selectors have already made a mistake by not picking Sarfaraz Khan in the squad and they shouldn’t make another by not playing Easwaran. Would India head coach Gautam Gambhir play an extra batter and hand the talented Sai Sudharsan his maiden Test cap? This is one of the biggest questions lingering one day before the crucial series. Easwaran has been India’s third-choice opener for a long time but is yet to make a debut, and at 29, he is already in the latter half of his career. “Abhimanyu Easwaran deserves to be in the playing XI before Sai Sudarshan. Easwaran’s 27 first-class hundreds, almost 8k FC runs, need to be respected. By dropping Sarfraz, someone who scored runs for India A in England, the selectors made a mistake. They shouldn’t repeat it by keeping Easwaran out of the Leeds Test,” Kaif tweeted on Thursday afternoon. Abhimanyu Easwaran deserves to be in the playing XI before Sai Sudarshan. Easwaran’s 27 first-class hundreds, almost 8k FC runs need to be respected. By dropping Sarfraz, someone who scored runs for India A in England, selectors made a mistake. They shouldn’t repeat it by keeping… — Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) June 19, 2025 Sarfaraz is rated among the best in domestic cricket. He even scored a solid 150 for India against New Zealand in 2024. After that series, Sarfaraz didn’t get a single match in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. Though not part of the main team, Sarfaraz was picked for the India A team that toured England and scored 92 in Canterbury. For the England Tests, BCCI selectors decided to go with the likes of Sudharsan and Karun Nair, dropping Sarfaraz in the process. The decision to exclude the latter from the Test team announced in May has sparked discussions about selection criteria, given his recent performances and domestic record. The selection committee, led by chairman Ajit Agarkar, opted for Nair instead of Sarfaraz, citing team management decisions. The warmup match performance in Beckenham, where he reportedly scored a hundred, serves as Sarfaraz’s latest statement to Agarkar and co.