Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad has slammed the national selectors for ignoring Sarfaraz Khan for the upcoming Test series against Australia and said that the batter’s exclusion is an “abuse to domestic cricket”.
Maintaining his good show with the bat, the Mumbai batter smashed 125 runs off 155 balls against Delhi on Tuesday. This was Sarfaraz’s third century of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.
Quoting a tweet from BCCI Domestic’s Twitter handle, Prasad wrote: “Not having him in the Test Team despite 3 blockbuster domestic seasons is not only unfair on Sarfaraz Khan, but it’s an abuse to domestic cricket, almost as if this platform doesn’t matter. And he is FIT to score those runs. As far as body weight goes, there are many with more kgs.”
Notably in the previous two Ranji Trophy seasons, he has amassed 1,910 runs in just 12 games, averaging 136.42. The right-hander has scored 928 runs in 6 games in the 2019-20 season, and 982 runs at an average of 122.75 in the 2021-22 season.
In eight innings this season, Sarfaraz has scored 556 runs averaging 111.20 with three centuries. In the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, he has amassed 1,910 runs in just 12 games, averaging 136.42.
India and Australia will play four Tests for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting from February 9 at Nagpur.