On Friday, the Indian selection committee announced the 16-member squad for the upcoming tour of the West Indies which includes two Test matches. The ODI and T20I series will be played further. The squad selection raised concerns among Indian cricket fans and players due to the omission of Sarfaraz Khan as he is performing amazingly in domestic cricket.
After giving a good performance in the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League, young talents such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Mukesh Kumar got their first call-ups. With their inclusion in the team, the Indian squad looks like a great mixture of young and experienced players.
Sarfaraz who has been overlooked by the selectors once again has now given an indirect reply to them via his official Instagram story. Sarfaraz Khan took to Instagram on Friday and shared a video showing his impressive performances during the Ranji Trophy season. The video on the Instagram story is a direct message for the selectors and it has come as a disappointment after not being picked for the West Indies tour even after his consistent performance.
Former Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar is also furious with the selectors after Sarfaraz Khan got snubbed from the upcoming series. He raised questions on the selection criteria and lashed out at selecting the players on the basis of IPL.
“Sarfaraz Khan has been scoring at an average of 100 in all past three seasons. What does he have to do to be picked in the squad? He might not be in the XI, but you pick him in the team,” Gavaskar told Sports Today.
“Tell him that his performances are being recognized. Otherwise, stop playing Ranji Trophy. Say, it’s of no use, you just play IPL and think you are good enough for the red-ball game as well,” he added.
Talking about the domestic performance of Sarfaraz Khan, the player has scored 928 runs at an average of 154 during the 2019-2020 season. In the 2021 season, he got 982 runs while in the 2022-2023 season, he amassed 556 runs in which he scored three hundred. In 35 innings, he has scored 3505 runs with an average of 79.65 which include 13 centuries.
