'He is not getting ignored because of cricketing reasons..': BCCI official on Sarfaraz Khan's non-selection

Sarfaraz Khan’s absence from the Test squad for the upcoming West Indies series raised several eyebrows. Following India’s second straight WTC Final defeat, this time against Australia by 209 runs, fans, alongside pundits, expected some drastic changes to happen, at least in the batting order. In the absence of injured Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, domestic giant Sarfaraz was touted to get his maiden Test call-up for the West Indies series, but that did not happen. Instead, regulars got retained, with Ajinkya Rahane, who didn’t even get the central contract by BCCI, named the vice-captain.

Upset over the same, fans took to social media blasting Board's selection criteria and favouritism towards certain players. Two days after going public with the squad announcement for both Tests and ODIs, a BCCI official finally came out and revealed why despite piling up runs for successive seasons, the selectors overlooked Sarfaraz for the Test series.

"The angry reactions are understandable, but I can tell you with some degree of certainty that the reason behind Sarfaraz getting ignored time and again is not just a cricketing one. There are multiple reasons for which he hasn't been considered," a BCCI official privy to selection developments told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Since the past three seasons, Sarfaraz scored 2566 runs from 37 games, averaging a whopping 79.65 – only second to great Sir Donald George Bradman. Despite being aware of his on-field credentials, the selectors kept ignoring him, and the unnamed BCCI official added the selection committee is not a fool to not consider someone with 900-plus runs in successive seasons.

He added Sarfaraz’s absence from the Test squad has more to do with his fitness and off-field disciplinary issues than his unbelievable on-field records.

"Are the Selectors fools to not consider a player who has scored 900 plus runs in successive seasons? One of the reasons is his fitness which isn't exactly of international standard. "He has to work hard, maybe shed weight and comeback leaner and fitter as it's not just batting fitness that is the sole criteria for selection," the source said.

"His conduct on and off the field hasn't exactly been top-notch. Certain things said, certain gestures made, and some incidents have been taken note of. A bit more disciplined approach would only do him a world of good. Hopefully, Sarfaraz along with his father and coach Naushad Khan will work on those aspects," the senior official added.

So, what exactly happened?

Reportedly, Sarfaraz’s celebration after completing a hundred against Delhi earlier this year during the Ranji game didn’t impress the then-selection committee chairman Chetan Sharma, who was present inside the stadium. Moreover, during 2022 Ranji Trophy Final, his conduct during the break upset MP Coach and Mumbai veteran Chandrakant Pandit.

As also perceived by many pundits that Sarfaraz’s inability to tackle extra pace and his latest IPL 2023 records are one of the reasons why he is not getting picked for international cricket, the BCCI official, replying to this, said,

"When Mayank Agarwal broke into the Indian Test team, he scored 1000 first-class runs in one month. Did MSK Prasad's committee check his IPL credentials? Ditto for Hanuma Vihari, who came through domestic and A team ranks. If their IPL and white ball record wasn't checked then, why would SS Das's committee reinvent the wheel now? Simple. The reason is not a cricketing one," he added.

The official concluded by asking, "Just think about it. Why was Sarfaraz not even among the reserves for the World Test Championship? Suryakumar Yadav, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, were the two reserves after Ruturaj pulled out due to his marriage."

As things stand, Ruturaj is kept as Ajinkya Rahane’s backup till Shreyas Iyer returns from injury, while Yashasvi Jaiswal is looked upto as the future top-order batter in Tests.

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