Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar reacted to Sarfaraz Khan‘s snub from the Test squad, saying that the selectors should not select cricketers on the basis of their shape and size but their form with the bat or bowl. Days after former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad slammed the national selectors for ignoring Sarfaraz. Batting legend Gavaskar has also extended his support to the in-form batter by taking an epic dig at the All India Selection Committee.
Also Read: UNFAIR and an ABUSE to Domestic Cricket: Venkatesh Prasad slams selectors for ignoring Sarfaraz Khan
Sunil Gavaskar Slams Selectors
The former India skipper and full-time cricket pundit also lashed out at Sarfaraz’s critics for questioning his fitness. In his hard-hitting statement against the national selectors, batting legend Gavaskar opined that cricketers come in all shapes and sizes.
Gavaskar further said that if selectors want to select only slim and trim guys, then they should go to a fashion show and pick some models and then give them a bat and ball in their hand and then include them.
In domestic cricket, Sarfaraz has scored a lot of runs, particularly in first-class games. He averaged 136.42 runs per game over the last two Ranji Trophy seasons in just 12 games. In a Ranji Trophy Group B match on Tuesday, he scored another century, this one for 125, defeating Delhi.
This was the batsman’s third century in the current edition of the prestigious tournament and his third first-class century overall, prompting some to wonder why Sarfaraz is yet to receive an India call-up.
WATCH: Sunil Gavaskar as opened up on Sarfaraz Khan’s snub from the Test squad
“If you are looking for only slim and trim guys, then might as well go to a fashion show and find some other models and give a bat and ball in their hands and then improve them. That’s not the way cricket goes. You have cricketers in all shapes and sizes. Don’t go by the size, go by the scores or wickets. He is not staying off the field when he scores a hundred. He is back on the field again. So, all that tells you is that the man is fit,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying by India Today.
Gavaskar went on to say that Sarfaraz isn’t unfit as he’s bringing out the big hundreds every now and then in the Ranji Trophy.
“How can you score runs? I think at the end of the day if you are unfit, you aren’t gonna score hundreds. Cricket fitness is the most important thing. Yo-Yo Test can’t be the only criterion. You got to make sure that the man is cricket fit as well. If the person, whoever it is, is cricket fit, then I don’t think it should be any matter.”
Legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar concludes by saying,
“At the moment, sometimes he starts to feel frustrated. What do I need to do? He is scoring runs. He scored triple hundred, and double hundreds, people might say he scored against ordinary attacks. I don’t know, I didn’t see them but then how come the other batsmen in the same team did not get 200 when he scored a triple hundred, or other batsmen did not get a hundred when he got a double hundred? So, for a man or any person who scored these many runs, you have something special to be able to churn out the runs he’s doing so consistently. His time is definitely gonna come. I mean, with the scores he is getting, he has to be pretty much in the frame.”
Moreover, Sarfaraz himself has spoken out about his India snub on multiple occasions. The 25-year-old admitted that he was disappointed that he had not yet received an India call-up and even revealed a conversation he had with BCCI chief selector Chetan Sharma and his promise to give Sarfaraz a call-up for the Bangladesh tour last year.
Also read: Ranji Trophy: Vijay Shankar Hits consecutive third ton; in contention for a spot in National Team
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