Team India’s Test and ODI squad for the tour of West Indies was announced on Friday, with the BCCI making major changes – particularly in the longest format. While Ajinkya Rahane – the senior batter who only made his comeback to the side earlier this month in the World Test Championship final – was named the vice-captain, Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped after poor outing in the title clash. Additionally, youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad were also picked in the Test squad but there remained a notable omission – Sarfaraz Khan.
Despite consistent performances in the Ranji Trophy in the past few years, Sarfaraz hasn’t received a national call-up and following another snub for the Windies tour, former India opener Aakash Chopra criticized the board for lack of clarity over the batter’s absence.
Chopra questioned the BCCI on the reasons behind Sarfaraz’s continual snubs and further stated that the board should make public the reasons if they are unrelated to his domestic outings.
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“What should Sarfaraz do? If you look at his numbers in the past 3 years, he’s head and shoulders above the rest. He’s scored everywhere. Even then, if he’s not selected… what message does it send?” Aakash Chopra questioned on his official YouTube channel.
“This is a question worth asking. If there’s some other reason, something which you and I don’t know, make it public. Just say it that you didn’t like that particular thing about Sarfaraz, and that’s why you’re not considering him. But we don’t know if there’s something like that. I don’t know if someone told Sarfaraz about that. If you don’t value first-class runs, it leaves a sour taste in the mouth,” said the former India opener.
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Alongside Sarfaraz, Abhimanyu Easwaran – another domestic star who had been performing impressively in the Ranji Trophy – was also snubbed from the Test squad.
