'If you look at Unadkat, he was drafted in after...': Senior IND batter shuts criticism on selectors over Sarfaraz call
A senior India batter has come in defence of the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee over much-criticised call of selecting Suryakumar Yadav over Sarfaraz.
After 37 appearances in first-class cricket, Sarfaraz Khan's average of a shade under 80 is only behind the greatest ever, Don Bradman. It was a figure, the 25-year-old achieved after clobbering plethora of runs over the last three seasons in Ranji Trophy tournament. An Indian call-up was hence expected to be just around the corner. But Sarfaraz was denied each time, leaving experts and fans furious at the selectors. However, a senior India batter has come in defence of the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee over much-criticised call of selecting Suryakumar Yadav over Sarfaraz.
Sarfaraz has scored 928 runs and 982 runs in the last two Ranji Trophy editions at ab average of well over 125. In the ongoing season, he has scored 556 runs in six Tests at 92.66 with three centuries. His stunning run was expected to be rewarded with a place in the Indian Test squad for the Bangladesh series last month, but he was denied the spot. Fans and experts then expected the 25-year-old to be picked for the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia at home, but he was not named in the 17-member list.
Speaking to News 18, senior India cricketer Abhinav Mukund, explained that while he feels Sarfaraz should be in the Indian side, but backed that selectors' call explaining that there aren't any vacancies in the team for the Mumbai batter to get in.
“I don’t think so. I think Sarfaraz should be there. Let’s keep that point straight. I think Sarfaraz has done enough to warrant a place in the Indian team. But, if you look at Ranji performances not being rewarded in this case, yes. But if you look at Jaydev Unadkat, they drafted him into the team after the sensational Ranji trophy in the last two or three years," he said.
“So, I think it’s just a case of the vacancies and the positions available. They’ve gone with a call that they feel is right for the first two tests by bringing in Suryakumar Yadav. I may or may not agree with that, but the thing is, there needs to be an opening for you to get in. You can score thousands of runs, but if someone else is doing really well there the it’s very difficult for you to, there should be a vacancy for you to get a job, right? Yeah. It’s just like that," he added.
