The non-selection of Mumbai batsman Sarfaraz Khan in the India Test squad for the two-Test series against the West Indies has left many aghast.
After all, he has been averaging over 100 over the past three years in domestic cricket and has bailed Mumbai out of a few tricky situations in the past.
Despite that, an India call-up in red-ball cricket has remained elusive – at least for the time being. But his constant exclusion has also led to many believing there must be a concrete reason for this.
Also Read: Police said Sapna Gill has been labelled ‘false and unfounded’ against Prithvi Shaw
And certain fans and experts believe that Sarfaraz’s struggles against genuine pace bowling, something highlighted during the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), is the main reason why.
Yet former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is of the opinion that Sarfaraz can tackle pace bowling just fine, and should be given a chance sooner rather than later.
“If you don’t play him (Sarfaraz) against fast bowling, how do you know? If he had problems he wouldn’t have scored so many runs all around (India),” he told PTI.
“I personally feel he has no problems against fast bowling and he should be given an opportunity.”
Also Read: List of ICC Trophies won by India
Ganguly, it is worth noting, has actually worked alongside Sarfaraz too. The Mumbai batsman is part of the Delhi Capitals side, in which Ganguly is the director of cricket and was often seen in the dugout last season alongside coach Ricky Ponting.
But Sarfaraz’s exclusion was not the only one that Ganguly had an issue with – he was also critical of the choice to leave out Bengal batsman Abhimanyu Easwaran.
Easwaran, it is worth noting, played 8 matches during the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season and scored 798 runs at an average of 66.50, which included 3 fifties and 3 hundreds.
Also Read: Top 10 run scorer in the ICC World Cup
Sarfaraz, on the other hand, played 6 matches due to the fact that he had to miss a few games due to an illness. But his numbers are still phenomenal.
He scored 556 runs in those matches, averaging 92.66 – with many believing he would get called up sooner rather than later.
Yet the call-up continues to remain elusive for Sarfaraz, who will need another season of similar proficiency to remain in the hunt for selection in the future.
The Indian team for the West Indies Test series does have a couple of new names though – Yashaswi Jaiswal was handed a maiden Test call-up, as was Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Also Read:
1) Ind Vs Pak ODI World Cup History
2) CWC 2023 Schedule, Teams, Logo, Host, Venues, Timetable, Final Date