Legendary Sunil Gavaskar lambasted the fitness purists who denied Sarfaraz Khan a place in the Test team in the past few years despite his impeccable record in domestic cricket.
After toiling for a lot of years in the domestic circuit, Sarfaraz Khan finally earned his place in the Indian Test team this year. Sarfaraz Khan arguably has the best performer in the red-ball cricket in Indian domestic cricket as he has been piling truckloads of runs for Mumbai at an astonishing average of around 70.
However, due to the fitness issue, Sarfaraz Khan couldn’t make the cut into the Indian Test team. But ever since he has been included in the Indian team setup, he has been living up to the expectations and has been scoring runs consistently for the team.
Sarfaraz Khan played an innings of 150 runs against New Zealand in 1st Test
Sarfaraz Khan slammed three fifties in his first series and, after that, recently played his best Test innings for the India National Cricket Team. The right-hander set the stage on fire in the recently concluded first Test against the New Zealand National Cricket Team.
Sarfaraz Khan played an innings of 150 runs, and the way he treated both spinners and fast bowlers was something that caught the attention of many. He played with controlled aggression and made sure that he helped his team take the lead in the second innings after being bundled out for 46 runs in the first innings.
Sarfaraz Khan, who slammed a 150 in the Bengaluru Test, had to wait long to get a chance to don the India whites. He made his India debut earlier this year against England when senior players like Virat Kohli and KL Rahul were out of the team and Shreyas Iyer was dropped. The Mumbaikar made an instant impact with half-centuries in both innings in his debut match.
He failed to find a place in the playing XIs for the two Test matches against Bangladesh as team management decided to go with another combination. However, an injury to Shubman Gill paved the way for Sarfaraz Khan to get another chance in the XI for the first Test against New Zealand, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
After registering a duck in the first innings, the 26-year-old was under pressure when he came out to bat in the second essay, with India being down and out in the game. Sarfaraz Khan held his nerves well and smashed 150 runs to showcase his ability to play daddy knock in red-ball cricket.
Sunil Gavaskar, who has often praised Sarfaraz Khan for his domestic record, slammed the decision-makers in Indian cricket who delayed the 26-year-old’s entry into the Test team.
Sunil Gavaskar lambasts ‘fitness purists’ in Indian cricket considers Sarfaraz Khan’s returns on the field after his 150 in 1st test
Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has lambasted Indian cricket’s obsession with ‘slim waists’ as a selection parameter over the years. Sarfaraz Khan was a victim of the same for several years, and found himself endlessly waiting for a national call-up despite being among the top run-scorers in the domestic circuit on a consistent basis.
In an age where fitness is considered as important as other skill-based facets of the game, Sarfaraz Khan does stick out. However, the batter is right up there when it comes to run scoring, and had to be patient on the sidelines. It took an injury and unavailability crisis during the home series against England for him to avail his first opportunity, and he grabbed it with both hands.
With three fifties in his first series, followed up by a maiden ton in the recently concluded first Test against New Zealand, Sarfaraz Khan has given the management a lot to think about.
Gavaskar opined how the decision makers’ stubborn infatuation with conventional athlete bodies cost Sarfaraz Khan.
“Sarfaraz’s returns on the field with the bat were even more prodigious than his waistline. Sadly, Indian cricket has had too many decision-makers with ideas that are hard to fathom,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“Sarfaraz Khan has been denied a place in the Indian team for some years now, despite scoring runs by the hundreds in domestic cricket. This was largely because those in a position to make decisions believed he didn’t have the slim waist they deemed necessary for international cricket,” the former Indian batter added.
Sarfaraz Khan was considered a backup option for the middle order until now. He had been on the bench during the home series against Bangladesh, and was not slated to play the series opener against New Zealand as well. However, a late injury to Shubman Gill led to his selection in the playing XI.
Sunil Gavaskar opinion about Rishabh Pant’s fitness and waistlines
In the same column, Gavaskar also cited Rishabh Pant as an example of a player who delivers consistently despite not fitting into the ideal athlete figure mold. The wicket-keeper batter had been called out for his weight on a consistent basis, but has emerged as a leaner figure post his recovery from the unfortunate accident in late 2022.
“Rishabh Pant is another player who doesn’t possess the slim waist that these fitness purists seem to want, but what an impact player he is. Let’s not forget that he also keeps wickets all day, which not only requires getting up and down for around six hours of play but also running to the stumps to gather the throws. So, please discard these yoyo-yoyo tests and instead assess how strong a player is mentally,” Gavaskar elaborated his point.
“Many people in India have this strange notion that a slim waist signifies a fit person. How often have we heard someone look at a slim-waisted individual and say how fit they are? Sports fitness doesn’t depend on slim waists alone. If the mind is strong, then physical fitness can largely be controlled by it,” he added.
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has also expressed his disapproval over the yo-yo test being used as selection criteria.