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Sarfaraz Khan (Source: Twitter)
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Sarfaraz Khan (Source: Twitter)India's squad for the West Indies tour saw a few new names, including Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal. But there was one more player, Sarfaraz Khan, who deserved to be in the Indian Test team following a streak of strong domestic performances. Despite accumulating runs in Ranji Trophy, the 25-year-old has been snubbed by the Indian selection yet again.
Sarfaraz has scored 3,505 runs at an average of 79.65 in 37 first-class matches, including 13 hundreds. He amassed 928 runs at an average of 154 in the 2019-20 Ranji season. The right-hander batsman again impressed everyone the following season, scoring 982 runs at an average of 122.75. In the 2022-23 season, he scored 556 runs in six games, averaging 92.66.
Expressing his disappointment, the youngster took to his Instagram to share a video message aimed at the Indian selection committee. Sarfaraz posted highlights of top performances from the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 season, showing his staggering statistics.
Check out the video below:
— No-No-Crix (@Hanji_CricDekho) June 25, 2023
Sunil Gavaskar and Wasim Jaffer expressed displeasure with the selectors' decision
Some former cricketers also criticised Sarfaraz's absence. Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, who slammed selectors for preferring IPL over Ranji Trophy, asked Sarfaraz to stop playing in India's premier domestic tournament. Wasim Jaffer, Ranji's all-time leading run-scorer, also expressed shock at the selectors' decision.
"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,” said Gavaskar.
“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," the former Indian captain added.
India’s Test squad vs West Indies: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.