The non-inclusion of Sarfaraz Khan in the team for the upcoming tour of the West Indies has become one of the most discussed topics in the Indian cricketing fraternity. Several former cricketers and experts have come out in the open and slammed the BCCI selectors for ignoring such a talent.
Sarfaraz Khan Was Ignored Yet Again
With senior player Cheteshwar Pujara being dropped from the team, Sarfaraz looked all set to be picked in the squad for the upcoming series, but the selectors opted to go for openers – Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Following the announcement of the squad, the PTI reported that the reasons behind Khan’s non-inclusion in the team are off-field. A BCCI official privy to selection developments told PTI the real reason behind Sarfaraz’s non-inclusion on conditions of anonymity. He revealed:
“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 cricketing one. There are multiple reasons for which he hasn’t been considered,”
He added:
“Are the selectors fools to not consider a player who has scored 900 plus runs in successive seasons? One of the reason is his fitness which isn’t exactly of international standard.
“He has to work hard, maybe shed weight and come back leaner and fitter as it’s not just batting fitness that is sole criteria for selection,”
The BCCI source also revealed that fitness wasn’t the only reason for his non-selection in the team. The BCCI official revealed:
“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,”
Did Sarfaraz Fail His Yo-Yo Test?
No, Sarfaraz Khan didn’t fail his yo-yo Test. As per a report by the PTI, there were no fitness concerns with Sarfaraz as he scored 16.5 on the yo-yo Test. Therefore, going by his yo-yo Test result, there were no fitness concerns about Sarfaraz Khan.
Notably, the BCCI made the yo-yo Test compulsory for selection. The board also introduced Dexa Test.
