Sunil Gavaskar, a former captain of India, criticised the Sarfaraz Khan-led All India Selection Committee for neglecting the batter, who is having a strong domestic season. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy match between Mumbai and Delhi’s first innings, Sarfaraz scored yet another century. Despite Sarfaraz’s strong batting performance in the domestic circuit, several present and past cricketers have expressed their dismay over his exclusion from the team.
Gavaskar then backed up the effective batter by advising the selectors to choose models if they want “slim and trim guys.” “He is not staying off the field when he is scoring hundreds, he is back on the field again. All that tells you that the man is fit for cricket. If you are looking for only slim and trim guys, then you might as well go to a fashion show and pick some models and then give them a bat and ball in their hand and then include them. You have cricketers in all shapes and sizes. Don’t go by the size, but go by the runs and the wickets,” Gavaskar told India Today. Earlier, Sarfaraz had said that he had sobbed after learning he would not play in India’s opening two Test matches against Australia.
“When the team was announced and my name wasn’t there, I was sad the whole day, when we travelled from Guwahati to Delhi, I was feeling very lonely. I cried too,” he was quoted as saying by the Times of India. The cricketer then sought help from his dad. “I called my dad to Delhi. He spoke to me, I practiced with him, and then felt better,” Sarfaraz revealed. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is anticipated to release the roster for the final two matches in due time. India is set to play Australia in a 4-match Test series.