In a few days' time, Sarfaraz Khan will pad up for West Zone side in a Duleep Trophy semifinal at the Alur Grounds to audition himself for a future India call-up after missing the bus yet again for the West Indies tour.
Sarfaraz’s omission is indeed puzzling. He is only the third batsman ever to aggregate 900-plus runs in two consecutive Ranji Trophy seasons; he averages the second highest (82.83) in first-class cricket, only behind Don Bradman among batters with a minimum of 2000 runs, and at 82.76, his average is the third best in Ranji Trophy. These aren't numbers to be scoffed at, especially when the national side's batters have come under the cosh following their poor performance in the WTC Final earlier this month against Australia at The Oval.
This is, however, not the first time the Mumbaikar has been overlooked by the senior national selectors, nor is this the first instance of the five wise men (this time four as the panel continues to run without a replacement for former chairman Chetan Sharma) having their wisdom questioned. As glaring as the omission may appear, there must be some reason for the continued snub, but in the absence of any official communication from the BCCI, speculations - planted or otherwise - have been rife. In the process, the youngster has been forced to undergo mental harassment as source-based reports attribute his exclusion to fitness issues, off-field conduct and what not.
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One cricketing logic could be that he hasn't batted above No. 5 even when presented with the opportunity and, therefore, his runs don't matter as much as those who bat in the top 4. But then again it's a matter of conjecture in the absence of official information.
All this could easily have been avoided had the BCCI sent a press release - because in tune with the times that we live in, the all-powerful Board doesn't believe in holding press conferences - stating reason/s for the non-inclusion of Sarfaraz.
Lack of transparency in the functioning of the BCCI isn't restricted to the Sarfaraz issue alone. Till date, there's no official communique from the Board about the removal/resignation of Sharma, whose post is yet to be filled even after more than four months. But it’s no secret that Sharma is no longer part of the committee or that Shiv Sundar Das is officiating as the interim chairman.
Apart from Mohammed Shami, only pacer Umesh Yadav and Cheteshwar Pujara from the WTC Final squad have been left out for the upcoming West Indies tour and no reasons have been assigned for this. Shami, clearly the leader of the pace pack in Jasprit Bumrah's prolonged absence, is certainly rested, no doubt about that. Most assumed that Umesh was dropped for a dip in form and wondered if it was the end of the road for Pujara insofar as his Test career is concerned. A couple of days later, source-based reports cited injury as the reason for Umesh's exclusion while the jury is still out on Pujara, who too will turn up for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy.
While Pujara's career once again appears to be at a crossroads, Ajinkya Rahane's has been dramatically resuscitated. Having been the beneficiary of Shreyas Iyer's injury, Rahane made the most of an unexpected call-up for the WTC Final. The veteran not only extended his international career but has managed to land the vice-captain's job of the Test team. Talk of a turnaround in fortunes! Strange as the appointment may seem, it could be the TINA (there is no alternative) factor at work, but that is left to speculation again.
There is an abundance of openers - four after excluding Ishan Kishan - in the Test squad but there is no way to find out the logic behind this choice.
Opaqueness is the name of the game when it comes to the BCCI.