India's ODI and Test team for West Indies tour has been announced. Cheteshwar Pujara has been dropped from the Indian Test team. At the same time, Rituraj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been given a chance in the Test team for the first time. Sarfaraz Khan has been ignored once again. Several veterans including Sunil Gavaskar and Aakash Chopra have criticized Sarfaraz Khan for not being selected in the team. After this, a BCCI official has told that Sarfaraz is not being selected for the Indian team due to poor fitness and bad behavior.
The Mumbai batsman has scored 2566 runs in the last three Ranji seasons. He scored 928 runs in the 2019/20 season, 982 runs in 2022-23, and 656 runs in the 2022-23 season. The 25-year-old has a career average of 79.65 after 37 first-class matches. In such a situation, it is surprising to choose Rituraj, who averages 42 in the first class, in place of Sarfaraz, who has played two Under-19 World Cups for India.
When asked about Sarfraz not being selected, a BCCI official said, "The angry reactions are understandable but I can tell you with some degree of certainty that cricket is not the only reason why Sarfaraz has been repeatedly overlooked." There are many reasons why he was not considered. Are the selectors being fools for not considering a player who scores 900+ runs in consecutive seasons? One of the reasons is his fitness which is not exactly of international standard He will have to work hard, probably lose weight and come back leaner and fitter, as batting fitness alone is not the only criteria for selection."
A source close to Sarfaraz said that he recently scored 16.5 on the Yoyo test during his stint at the NCA. For selection in the Indian team, it is necessary to score at least 16.5 marks on the Yoyo test. In teams like England and New Zealand, this level is even higher.
According to the BCCI official, fitness is not the only reason for Sarfaraz's non-selection. He said "His conduct on and off the field has not been top-notch at all. Some things were said, some gestures were made and some incidents have been noticed. A little more disciplined attitude would do him good. Hopefully That Sarfaraz will work on those aspects together with his father and coach Naushad Khan." Reportedly, Sarfaraz's celebration after scoring a century against Delhi during a Ranji match earlier this year did not go down well.
When asked whether IPL performance and perceived weakness against the short ball were also the reason for Sarfaraz's non-selection? The source replied, "It is a perception created by the media. Do you think there could be a cricketing reason for it?" When Mayank Agarwal joined the Indian Test team, he scored 1000 first-class runs in a month. Did the committee of MSK Prasad see his IPL record? The same is the case for Hanuma Vihari, who broke into the Indian team through the domestic and A team. If his IPL and white ball records were not looked at then why would the SS Das committee do it now? Cricket is not the reason Sarfaraz was not selected."
At present, it is difficult for Sarfaraz to make a place in the team.
"Just think about it. Why wasn't Sarfaraz even in the reserves for the World Test Championship? Suryakumar Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal were the two reserves after Rituraj pulled out due to his marriage," the source said about Sarfaraz's place in the Indian team. As per the pecking order, Ajinkya Rahane is at No.5 and Gaikwad is the reserve middle-order batsman who can also be used as a floater. So once Rahane fails, Gaikwad is most likely to get a chance. Apart from this, Suryakumar Yadav, who is playing Duleep Trophy for West Zone, is also difficult to drop. If Shreyas Iyer is fit, Sarfaraz's path to the international team can be very difficult.
(pc amarujala)
