The selection of the 16-member Test squad for the upcoming tour of West Indies, which marks the beginning of the new World Test Championship cycle, has faced criticism and raised questions among cricket pundits. One of the main concerns is the repeated exclusion of Sarfaraz Khan, despite his impressive performances in the Ranji Trophy.
Sunil Gavaskar, a legendary former cricketer, expressed his frustration and suggested that if Ranji Trophy performances are being overlooked for Test selection, players should focus solely on the IPL for consideration in all formats of the Indian team. Gavaskar emphasized that players like Sarfaraz deserve recognition for their consistent performances and called for a reevaluation of the selection criteria.
Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer also voiced his opinion on the squad selections, particularly questioning the inclusion of four openers – Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Jaffer highlighted the absence of a middle-order option like Sarfaraz and criticized the selectors for disregarding the impressive Ranji Trophy performances of players such as Abhimanyu Easwaran and Priyank Panchal, who have also performed well for India A. He specifically criticized the preference given to Gaikwad in the squad.
Also read: India vs West Indies: Yashasvi Jaiswal or Ruturaj Gaikwad, Who Would Debut in the Test Team?
Overall, there has been dissatisfaction and scrutiny regarding the squad selections, with concerns raised about the omission of deserving players and the criteria used by the selectors.
Wasim Jaffer Tweeted
My two cents on India’s WI tour squads:
1. What’s the need of four openers? Instead they could have picked Sarfaraz as extra middle order bat to honour his consistent domestic performances.
2. Easwaran and Panchal have also been doing hard yards in Ranji and India A, knocking on Test doors for a long time. Just because they don’t play IPL, is it a case of out of sight out of mind? How did Ruturaj jump the queue?
3. Surprised to see Shami rested that too after a month long break. I feel he’s the type of bowler that the more he bowls the better/fitter and in form he gets.