A new era began in India’s test course, Shubman Gill taking charge of the captain of the Rohit Sharma team while Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan each find a place in the team, after the outings of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Without the two veterans duets, India is looking at a trip of complexities, with the unus now on the skipper Gill and the vice-captain Rishabh Pant to direct the troops. However, a player that many felt was unfairly abandoned on the side for the 5 -game test series against England was Sarfaraz Khan.
After working in the domestic cricket of the red ball for years, Sarfaraz has finally made its way to the side of the tests of India, making its debut against England in February of last year. However, the striker did not play a single match in the Border-Gavaskar trophy against Australia before being completely abandoned from the team.
Thinking about the decision of the BCCI selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar to drop Sarfaraz, which also lost 10 kg of weight before the tour in England, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar had bitter truths to share.
“It’s difficult, it’s what cricket is. India today.
“It is entirely up to you to make sure to cement this place. You must continue to knock on the doors and break down the doors.”
Gavaskar admitted that it was a “difficult” call from selectors to drop Sarfaraz after the Australia tour because the striker could not show his form in domestic cricket due to an injury.
“I think it is a difficult call because after the tour of Australia, there was no red ball cricket. Yes, there was the Ranji trophy, but he was injured. So, he did not play. There was no way that he could show what his shape was.”
“You must be attributed. We have seen in the past, if a team loses a series, the guys who are 13th, 14th, 15th of the team are abandoned. You have to try your luck,” he added.
During the press conference on Saturday, Agarkar said that Sarfaraz had been abandoned from the team because he had not been cut ‘after the New Zealand tone.
“Sometimes you just have to make good decisions. Sarfaraz, I know that he obtained a 100 in the first test (vs New Zealand) and that he did not have a race. Sometimes, these are the decisions that the team management takes. Whether just for someone or unfair for someone, these are the choices you make in the best interest of the team,” said Agarkar.
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