Sarfaraz Khan should've been given a chance during India's tour of Australia, former batter Sanjay Manjrekar has said. Sarfaraz was part of the Indian touring party for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but never really came close to playing any of the five Test matches. While it was initially reported that Sarfaraz could be up against KL Rahul for a spot in the middle order, that quickly changed when the latter returned as an opener in the first Test in the absence of Rohit Sharma.
Sarfaraz has scored three half-centuries and a century in 11 Test innings but also faced criticism for a string of low scores during the home series against New Zealand after making 150 in the second innings of the first Test. India ended up losing that rubber 3-0, making it the first time ever that they had lost a series to New Zealand at home and first time they lost a home Test series at all in over a decade.
"Sarfaraz Khan was rewarded for his tremendous record at the first-class level. He got three 50s and 150, but then got out terribly in the next test. But then he was completely dumped. I don't think that's quite right," Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo.
‘What if he had found a way to get runs’
Manjrekar said that regardless of whether Sarfaraz would've succeeded in Australia or not, he deserved to get a chance as he has the performances to show for it in domestic and international cricket.
{{/usCountry}}Manjrekar said that regardless of whether Sarfaraz would've succeeded in Australia or not, he deserved to get a chance as he has the performances to show for it in domestic and international cricket.
{{/usCountry}}“Even if you feel that Sarfaraz Khan might not succeed on these kinds of pitches, what if he had found a way to get runs, with the third man being his main scoring area? I mean, it was a revelation how he played against England. So let's not try and play God too much, maybe just watch a little bit, be concerned about how they'll shape up at the highest level. But you've got to reward people who've got runs,” he said.