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Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran didn’t play a single game in Australia, despite head coach Gautam Gambhir’s reverence for domestic cricket.
Sarfaraz Khan (Picture Credit: AP)
Sanjay Manjrekar has criticised the Indian men’s Test decision makers for ‘completely dumping’ Sarfaraz Khan in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, despite his excellent returns in previous tours. Sarfaraz, who averages 37.10 from six Tests, played India’s last match before the tour against New Zealand but didn’t get a game in Australia.
Sarfaraz got his first chance for India against England in the first half of 2024 and scored three fifties to back up his stunning domestic record. Against New Zealand, he smashed a magnificent 150 in the first Test at the Chinnaswamy Stadium but, like most of his teammates, failed for the next three Tests as India got whitewashed 3-0.
Manjrekar also criticized India’s treatment — and the journalists’ reporting of the net sessions — of Abhimanyu Easwaran, one of the highest domestic cricket run-scorers, who also didn’t play in Australia despite the team’s top-order struggles.
“When we had that chat before the first test, I said that it shouldn’t be as straightforward a decision which Sarfraz Khan taken away and KL Rahul put in,” Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo. “I think there was a lot of preemption, a lot of people were playing God with Abhimanyu Easwaran and watching him in a warm-up game and thinking that he’s not going to be getting a run. I think that’s not a good way to look at things because cricket springs you surprises.”
“Sarfaraz Khan was rewarded for his tremendous record at the first-class level. He got three 50s and a 150, but then got out terribly in the next test. But then he was completely dumped. I don’t think that’s quite right,” Manjrekar said.
“Even if you feel that Sarfaraz Khan might not succeed on these kinds of pitches, what if he had found a way to get runs, with the third man being his main scoring area? I mean, it was a revelation how he played against England. So let’s not try and play God too much, maybe just watch a little bit, be concerned about how they’ll shape up at the highest level. But you’ve got to reward people who’ve got runs,” the former cricketer added.
Though Rahul was one of India’s best batters in Australia, none, including him, could consistently put up big scores in the series. The team always seemed over-reliant on the bowling line-up and multiple batting collapses contributed significantly to the 3-1 series loss.
