The selection of the 16-member Test squad for the impending tour of West Indies as India look ahead to the new World Test Championship cycle, has raised more questions with most even criticising the logic behind the selections made. The most crucial of them pertains to the repeated ignorance of Sarfaraz Khan. And after the legendary Sunil Gavaskar's rant, former India opener Wasim Jaffer has taken an aim at the BCCI for picking players like Ruturaj Gaikwad for the two-match Test series.
Despite the plethora of runs clobbered across the last three Ranji Trophy season, with his career First Class average being only second to Don Bradman in the list of batters with at least 2000 runs, Sarfaraz has constantly been snubbed by the selectors.
A fuming Gavaskar, in conversation with Sports Today, said that if Ranji Trophy numbers are being ingored for Test selection, players should rather focus only on IPL for selection across formats for the Indian team. He said: "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."
Later, Jaffer took to Twitter to share an elaborate thought on the selections made. In his three-point tweet, he questioned the selection of four openers - Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Gaikwad - when a middle-order option in Sarfaraz could have been picked. Like Gavaskar, Jaffer too pointed fingers are the ignorance of Ranji Trophy numbers of players like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Priyank Panchal, who have also been doing well for India A, as he lambasted the selectors for favouring Gaikwad.
Jaffer tweeted:
My two cents on India's WI tour squads:
{{/usCountry}}My two cents on India's WI tour squads:
{{/usCountry}}1. What's the need of four openers? Instead they could have picked Sarfaraz as extra middle order bat to honour his consistent domestic performances.
2. Easwaran and Panchal have also been doing hard yards in Ranji and India A, knocking on Test doors for a long time. Just because they don't play IPL, is it a case of out of sight out of mind? How did Ruturaj jump the queue?
3. Surprised to see Shami rested that too after a month long break. I feel he's the type of bowler that the more he bowls the better/fitter and in form he gets.
India will begin their campaign in West Indies from July 12 onwards with the two-match series. It will mark the beginning of India's journey in the third WTC cycle.