‘Why send him to India A if you doubt his game?' – Former Indian cricketer on Sarfaraz Khan's Test snub
India's Sarfaraz Khan (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak)
Sarfaraz Khan
, who was dropped from India's Test squad for the England tour, responded with a commanding 76-ball century in a two-day warm-up game between the Test squad and India A in Beckenham before the first Test match at Headingley.
The 27-year-old Mumbai batsman, who has faced multiple exclusions from the national Test side, showcased his batting prowess with 15 fours and two sixes before being retired out to give opportunities to other batsmen.
This century follows his impressive knock of 92 against the England Lions in Canterbury earlier this month, further highlighting his consistent performance in English conditions.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
SUBSCRIBE NOW!
The decision to exclude Sarfaraz from the Test squad, announced last month, has sparked discussions about selection criteria, particularly given his recent performances and domestic record.
Former India opener
Aakash Chopra
expressed his concerns about Sarfaraz's exclusion, stating: "Sarfaraz Khan hasn't done anything wrong thus far. In fact, he hasn't done anything wrong till now. The one match he played, he scored 90-plus runs. He couldn't score a hundred, but he scored runs. After that, you didn't play him in the next match, and he is not part of the Test team."
Kuldeep Yadav hints at spin-friendly wicket ahead of England Test series
Chopra further elaborated on Sarfaraz's situation: "He hasn't failed in England, Australia and South Africa thus far, but you haven't given him a chance.
It is not a good story. I can understand if you don't have confidence in his technique or playing style, that he might not be able to score runs there, then you have to take a call. Then don't send him with India A also, because you have a pre-conceived notion."
Sarfaraz's recent red-ball cricket journey includes a significant innings of 150 against New Zealand in Bengaluru in October 2024, followed by only three more red-ball games before a nearly six-month break from the format.
Quiz:
Who's that IPL player?
Chopra questioned the selection logic: "If you think he can make runs, and that's why he has been picked for the India A squad, then play him in the India Test team too. What wrong has he done? He made a ton in Bengaluru. Then he failed in two matches, but no one else scored in those matches. He did not even play a single match in Australia, in fact, he was not even part of the conversation. So, in such a scenario, one might think that something wrong is happening with him.
What has he done wrong? Maybe, absolutely nothing. But he is not getting a place in the XI. in fact, he is not in the scheme of things, which is a little sad, if your name is Sarfaraz Khan."
The selection committee, led by chairman Ajit Agarkar, opted for veteran Karun Nair instead of Sarfaraz, citing team management decisions.
Agarkar explained the selection decision: "Sometimes you just have to make good decisions. Sarfaraz, I know he got a 100 in the first Test (vs New Zealand) and then didn't get runs. Sometimes it's decisions the team management takes. Whether it's fair on somebody or unfair on someone, those are the choices that you make in the best interest of the team."
The warm-up game performance in Beckenham serves as Sarfaraz's latest statement to the national selectors, continuing his push for inclusion in the Test squad through consistent performances at various levels.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
31 minutes ago
- News18
Sourav Ganguly On Shubman Gill Era: '...Was Never Worried About Indian Cricket'
Sourav Ganguly is confident that Indian cricket will be alright in the new era with Shubman Gill leading a team without Kohli, Sharma and Ashwin. The India-England series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy marks the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket. A Shubman Gill-led team embarks on a tour of England without the legendary Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Despite the expected challenges of this transition, Sourav Ganguly expressed confidence in India's smooth transition, attributing it to the country's robust domestic structure. 'I was never worried about Indian cricket. There will be someone taking Indian cricket forward. I am not surprised with Yashasvi (Jaiswal) because I rate him as a fantastic batter, he is someone who should play all formats," Sourav Ganguly was quoted as saying by PTI. Jaiswal has been impressive since the start of his Test career. The left-hander continued his excellent form with a 101-run knock, setting India on course for a substantial first-innings total. He shared a 91-run partnership with fellow opener KL Rahul (42) for the first wicket. 'I am not surprised by Yashasvi's performance because I have seen him play in Australia, the West Indies, and India, hope he keeps on performing like this but Shubman Gill's improvement is commendable. 'Shubman and his batting away from home, I am telling you India has a lot of talent, there are 4-5 players waiting now who, when given a chance, will score runs," Ganguly said. Ganguly acknowledged that replacing someone like Kohli is challenging but praised Gill's quality, especially in the number four slot, which Kohli had made his own. 'Virat is a class player, finding his replacement will take time. But the rest, I wasn't, I was not surprised by what I saw with Shubman. There is too much quality in Indian cricket because of the system, the quality of domestic cricket, leagues, because of the kind of time and money associations put in developing a player," said Ganguly, who has served as the BCCI president in the past. The former India captain also appreciated the change in approach by wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant, who has managed to curb his natural aggressive instincts. 'Rishabh plays fast bowling well, I didn't like his batting in Australia, he was playing a lot of shots. Yesterday (Friday) he did restrictive batting, he has curtailed his game on his strengths, he is a great player in Tests, and will play all the three formats," Ganguly added. (With inputs from PTI) About the Author Ritayan Basu First Published: June 21, 2025, 20:48 IST
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
Ishan Kishan to make county debut with Nottinghamshire, replaces SA keeper Verreynne on two-match deal
1 2 3 India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has joined Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club on a two-match County Championship deal, the English side announced on its X (formerly twitter) handle on Friday evening. Kishan, who has played all three formats for India, will be available for selection for the first-class fixtures against Yorkshire at home ground Trent Bridge starting Sunday while the next game will be away at Taunton against Somerset. The Patna-born Jharkhand cricketer will serve as a short-term replacement for World Test Championship-winning South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne. The Protea will be away on national duty to play a two-Test series in Zimbabwe. Kishan turned out for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) where he scored a 45-ball century against Rajasthan Royals and remained unbeaten on 106 from 47 balls. "I'm feeling very excited to get my first taste of playing county cricket in England, and it will be a great chance to showcase my skills," Ishan was quoted as saying by the club website. "I want to make sure I am the best cricketer I can be, and playing in English conditions will really help me to learn new skills. Trent Bridge is such a famous ground that is well-known in India and around the world, and I am really excited that I will be playing there," the southpaw added. Meanwhile, speaking on Kishan's inclusion to the squad, Nottinghamshire head coach Peter Moores said, "We're all very pleased to have secured the services of Ishan for these next two Championship fixtures while Kyle is away with South Africa." A wicketkeeper-batter himself during his playing days, the former Three Lions player and coach added, "We want players to be themselves and to bring their own game, and something that especially excites me about Ishan is how keen he is to be involved in county cricket. He brings proven quality in his ball-striking, as a hard-hitting middle-order batter, but while he's still developing his red-ball game, this spell will be really beneficial for him, and for us. " India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has joined Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club on a two-match County Championship deal, the English side announced on its X (formerly twitter) handle on Friday evening. Kishan, who has played all three formats for India, will be available for selection for the first-class fixtures against Yorkshire at home ground Trent Bridge starting Sunday while the next game will be away at Taunton against Somerset. The Patna-born Jharkhand cricketer will serve as a short-term replacement for World Test Championship-winning South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne. The Protea will be away on national duty to play a two-Test series in Zimbabwe. Kishan turned out for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) where he scored a 45-ball century against Rajasthan Royals and remained unbeaten on 106 from 47 balls. "I'm feeling very excited to get my first taste of playing county cricket in England, and it will be a great chance to showcase my skills," Ishan was quoted as saying by the club website. "I want to make sure I am the best cricketer I can be, and playing in English conditions will really help me to learn new skills. Trent Bridge is such a famous ground that is well-known in India and around the world, and I am really excited that I will be playing there," the southpaw added. Meanwhile, speaking on Kishan's inclusion to the squad, Nottinghamshire head coach Peter Moores said, "We're all very pleased to have secured the services of Ishan for these next two Championship fixtures while Kyle is away with South Africa." A wicketkeeper-batter himself during his playing days, the former Three Lions player and coach added, "We want players to be themselves and to bring their own game, and something that especially excites me about Ishan is how keen he is to be involved in county cricket. He brings proven quality in his ball-striking, as a hard-hitting middle-order batter, but while he's still developing his red-ball game, this spell will be really beneficial for him, and for us. "
India Today
42 minutes ago
- India Today
Rishabh Pant well ahead of MS Dhoni in Tests: Sanjay Manjrekar makes bold claim
Sanjay Manjrekar has made a fairly divisive call and went on to back Rishabh Pant as the best wicketkeeper-batter in Test cricket, even going above MS Dhoni, following his century against England in Leeds on Saturday, June former cricketer, when asked about his views on India's best gloveman in the longest format, pointed out the stark contrast in both their performances away from vs IND, 1st Test Day 2: Updates 'Again, I am a believer in where you got your hundreds, and I'm a big sort of, I always look at hundreds. OK, where have we got it? He's got hundreds in England. He's got 100 in South Africa. He's got a couple of hundreds in Australia,' Manjrekar said on playing Tests away from home, Dhoni has a total of 2496 runs in the 48 matches at an average of 32.84 with 18 fifties and just one century in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant has already hit 1976 runs in the 30 games played with an average of 39.52, with six fifties and five centuries as numbers clearly show that Pant has been better, at least when it comes to scoring the big runs and already looks on track to surpass Dhoni's record away from home. Manjrekar reckons that Dhoni's best knocks have come in slightly lesser challenging when you look at the MS' hundreds, with all due respect to his fans, his centuries would not be so much in these countries where batting is a bit more challenging, as batting on an Indian pitch. In Test cricket, he's already well ahead of MS,' he the end of India's first innings, Manjrekar again went on to emphasise how Pant was indeed India's best keeper-batter. He even referenced how Pant has gotten out in the nineties quite a few times. The wicketkeeper batter has been dismissed seven times in the nineties in Test cricket.'By far, India's greatest ever Test batter-keeper. I was worried when he was in the 90s that he might end up getting his 8th 90 of his career. It is just unbelievable that he has so many 90s! But he's a breath of fresh air,' he was also appreciative of the crowds in England who have a taste for good competitive cricket. While they are supportive of their team, they're also appreciative of good performances, whether it is from their team or the opponents.'When he got out and raised his bat, there were a lot of English supporters who stood up and applauded that innings. That's what we love about England — these guys come to watch good cricket. They want their team to win, but when they see excellence from the opposition, you can see true appreciation for it,' he Pant's innings of 134 ensured India put up a commanding first-innings total of 471 runs on the board. Now, he will be in focus as a vice-captain, where he will look to play his part and support the Indian captain in ensuring that the bowling unit can wrap up the English batters Watch
