Jay Gohil has been elevated to the West Zone squad for the 2026 Duleep Trophy following Sarfaraz Khan's call-up to India's Test squad. Sarfaraz was selected as a replacement for injured batter Sai Sudharsan in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka. Gohil, 25, was initially part of the standby list for the Duleep Trophy and now moves into the main squad.
Rajesh Pawar, the West Zone selector, confirmed the change and explained the reasoning behind Gohil's promotion. The batter had demonstrated consistent
form in the Ranji Trophy for Saurashtra during the 2025-26 season.
"Yes, we've picked Gohil as Sarfaraz's replacement, as he was in the standbys and was consistent in the Ranji Trophy for saurashtra this season," Pawar told The Times of India.
Gohil elevated after Sarfaraz's India call-up
Gohil brings a strong first-class record to the Duleep Trophy. The batter has played 12 first-class matches and accumulated 860 runs at an average of 47.77, including two centuries and four fifties. Earlier in 2026, Gohil scored 98 in Saurashtra's victory against Chandigarh, which came by an innings and 56 runs.
Gohil's first-class form and record
During the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season, Gohil was part of Saurashtra's title-winning squad. That season, he scored 337 runs across 9 innings at an average of 37.44, with a notable 227 against Assam. In the final match of that campaign, Gohil was dismissed for 6 and 0 in the two innings, with Akash Deep getting the better of him on both occasions.
Sarfaraz Khan's Test career so far
Sarfaraz Khan's Test career has seen limited opportunities. He has played 6 Tests and scored 371 runs in that span. His most recent Test appearance came against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium. Sarfaraz was also part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 squad before being dropped from subsequent selections.
Also Read: Sarfaraz Khan's father Naushad overcome with emotion as son's two-year Test wait ends
The Duleep Trophy is scheduled to run from August 23 to September 10, 2026, with matches held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. West Zone will open their campaign against North Zone on August 23. Ruturaj Gaikwad has been appointed captain of the West Zone squad, with Shams Mulani as vice-captain.
