Sarfaraz Khan's fitness, conduct reason for his non-selection: BCCI official

When the Test squad for the West Indies series was announced, many expected Sarfaraz Khan's name to be in it, given that he has fared exceedingly well in the last two seasons in domestic cricket. Many including former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar had criticised the decision not to include the Mumbai batter.

However, according to a BCCI official, Sarfaraz was not picked for any cricketing reasons, but was in fact not included as his fitness is not believed to be of the required international standards and also, his on and off field behaviour has often irked the selectors.

“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,” a BCCI official privy to selection developments told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

“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 comeback leaner and fitter as it’s not just batting fitness that is sole criteria for selection,” the source added.

Further elaborating, the official 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."

Sarfaraz's celebration following a hundred against Delhi in the Ranji Trophy did not sit well with the chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma, who looked on from the stands. Also, Madhya Pradesh coach Chandrakant Pandit was not too appreciative of Sarfaraz's behaviour during a break in the game. 

While many believe that Sarfaraz's lack of runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is why he was not picked, the BCCI official has completely denied such claims.

“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 said.

“Just think about it. Why was Sarfaraz not even among the reserves for the World Test Championship? Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal were the two reserves after Ruturaj pulled out due to his marriage.”

As things stand, India have hung on to Ajinkya Rahane following his excellent show in the WTC final against Australia. He is likely to bat at five. Also, if India need to fill in another middle-order slot, they have the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Ruturaj Gaikwad waiting.

Not to forget, Shreyas Iyer too will stake claim to a spot when he is fit. As a result, it could be further difficult to break into the team.