‘What message does it send?’ Ex-cricketers blast BCCI over Sarfaraz Khan’s omission from Test squad

From Sunil Gavaskar to Wasim Jaffer and Aakash Chopra, cricket enthusiasts and ex-players, everyone is opining on the Test squad announced by BCCI for the India Tour of West Indies.

While the list of complaints is long, one name that often pops up when India announces Test squads is that of Sarfaraz Khan, a red-ball maestro.

Khan, who has over 3500 runs to his name in first-class cricket, has often been overlooked by national selectors, drawing the ire of cricket fans.

The 25-year-old's omission did not sit well with former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who blasted the selectors, saying, ‘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 added, ‘Tell him that his performances are being recognised. 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.’

In tandem with Gavaskar, ex-India cricketer Wasim Jaffer expressed his dismay over Khan’s absence in the squad.

He wrote in a tweet, ‘What's the need of four openers? Instead they could have picked Sarfaraz as an extra middle order bat to honour his consistent domestic performances.’

Cricket commentator Aakash Chopra too questioned the move, ‘What should Sarfaraz do? If you see the first-class runs for the last three years, if the guy was going head and shoulders above the rest and scoring a lot of runs everywhere, and if he is not selected, what message does it send? This is a question worth asking.’

Since his debut, Sarfaraz has scored 3,505 runs in 37 first-class matches at an average of 79.65, including 13 centuries.