11 innings, 1 century, 3 fifties, but Sarfaraz Khan was dropped from the India squad for the England Test series. Before breaking the door of India Test team, Sarfaraz did everything right in domestic cricket. He scored tons of runs, averaging 65.61 after 54 first-class matches. Then, what did he do wrong to deserve a snub in India vs England Test series? His inexperience in playing in England did play a part, as he lost the spot to Karun Nair. Former India captain and batting maestro Sunil Gavaskar has advised his fellow Mumbaikar to not lose heart and take inspiration from Nair.
“Even Jaydev played his first Test at a very young age, and then it took 13 years or so to play another Test. He persevered, he went on picking wickets in domestic cricket. Like Unadkat, Karun has kept on scoring big hundreds. That’s why the selection committee had to bring him back. A man in form is one of your best bets. He is scoring runs, he also got the experience of County Championships,” Sunil Gavaskar told India Today.
Did Sarfaraz Khan deserve a spot?
While Sarfaraz made a statement century against New Zealand at home after scoring two half-centuries in his debut match, his stint with India Test Team wasn’t flawless. In 11 innings, he scored a century and three half-centuries. But it also had three ducks, two single-digit scores and two below 20. With others continuing to pile up runs and put pressure on the selectors, Sarfaraz had to make every knock count, especially when the experts felt he still had to work on his technique against short balls.
In Australia, he did not feature in any of the five Tests. There were domestic matches, but he developed an injury that has kept him out of action so far. There have been numerous talks about his fitness too. While Sarfaraz has shed 10kgs of weight and worked on his fitness during this time, it wasn’t enough to justify a place over Karun Nair.
“It’s tough, that’s what cricket is all about. When you get opportunities, you have to make sure the place is yours. Even if you score a hundred, you should make sure that you don’t go into your next innings thinking you scored a hundred in the previous knock. You have to get your eye in and get those runs again. You must not give anybody a chance to push you out of the team,” Gavaskar added.
India A tour
However, even though Sarfaraz has missed the chance to feature in the India vs England Test series, he still has an opportunity in England. He will be part of India A squad that will play two first-class matches against England Lions and an intra-squad match against the India senior team. These three matches will be crucial for Sarfaraz Khan to make a statement that Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector, made a mistake.
Following that, he could still try for a County contract and get some experience under his belt, playing in difficult conditions. Gavaskar believes that Sarafaraz did not take his chance and made himself undroppable.
“It’s entirely up to you to ensure you cement that spot. You need to keep knocking on the doors and break the door down. You have to be undroppable. We have seen in the past, if a team loses a series, the guys who are 13th, 14th, 15th in the squad get dropped. You have to take your chances,” Gavaskar added.
The post Learn from Karun Nair: Sunil Gavaskar advises Sarfaraz Khan after snub in India vs England Test appeared first on Inside Sport India.