Right after BCCI announced the India Test squad for the Australia Test series, fumes starts to rose from all around the cricket community right after Sarfaraz Khan was not included in the squad.
Ashwin Praises Sarfaraz Khan
The Mumbai batter has so far scored over 550 runs in Ranji Trophy and is averaging over 90. “He is certainly on our radar. In due course, he will get his due. While picking the team, we have to consider things like composition and balance,” Sridharan Sharath, BCCI selector, had said.
Now, India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has spoken about Sarfaraz Khan’s terrific form. “Where do I begin about this batsman Sarfaraz Khan. There is so much debate on whether he should get selected or not. But he is not caring about selection, guys. In the 2019-20 season, he scored 900 runs. In the 2020-21 season, another 900 runs,” Ashwin said.
“This season, he has scored almost 600 runs. He has made a strong statement with his sheer performances. He is averaging in excess of 100 in the last three seasons at a high strike-rate as well.
Sarfaraz Khan is not just smashing on the selection doors. He is burning them. But unfortunately, he is not getting selected currently. Despite not getting selected, he played a terrific knock for Mumbai against Delhi, the game in which Mumbai lost.”
Meanwhile, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar slammed the Chetan Sharma-led All India Selection Committee for ignoring batter Sarfaraz. Several current and former cricketers have expressed their disappointment over Sarfaraz’s snub from the team, despite his excellent form with the bat in domestic circuit.
Now, Gavaskar extended his support to the in-form batter, suggesting that the selectors should pick models if they want “slim and trim guys”.
“He is not staying off the field when he is scoring hundreds, he is back on the field again. All that tells you that the man is fit for cricket. If you are looking for only slim and trim guys, then you might as well go to a fashion show and pick some models and then give them a bat and ball in their hand and then include them.
You have cricketers in all shapes and sizes. Don’t go by the size, but go by the runs and the wickets,” Gavaskar told India Today.
Earlier, former Australian cricket team skipper Ian Chappell praises believes that India may find it difficult to score freely in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Test series due to the absence of Rishabh Pant.
Rishabh Pant set to miss the Border-Gavaskar Test 2022 following his near fatal car crash on December 30, 2022. The BCCI stated that he was going to miss most of the 2023 cricket season because he had suffered a serious knee injury.
In his absence, KS Bharat is expected to keep wickets for the hosts while Ishan Kishan was included in the squad as a back-up.
The first match of the Border-Gavaskar Test 2021-22 will be played on February 9 at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur.
