Sarfaraz has been prolific in the Indian domestic circuit for the last three seasons.
On Friday (June 23), the BCCI’s selection panel announced the 16-member squad and Sarfaraz failed to make the cut despite being so prolific in domestic cricket over the last three seasons.
The right-hander amassed more than 900 runs in the Ranji Trophy 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons. He continued his brilliance in the 2022-23 edition of Ranji Trophy as well, scoring 556 runs from six matches at an average of 92.66 with three centuries.
Hence, the selection committee’s decision to overlook Sarfaraz has come under the scanner, with the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Aakash Chopra also questioning the call.
Amid the outrage, the BCCI sources claimed that Sarfaraz’s below-par "fitness level" in addition to his alleged "off-field conduct" has led to his non-selection.
"The angry reactions are understandable but I can tell you with some degree of certainty that the reason behind Sarfaraz getting ignored time and again is not just cricketing one. There are multiple reasons for which he hasn't been considered," a BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
"Are the selectors fools to not consider a player who has scored 900 plus runs in successive seasons? One of the reason is his fitness which isn't exactly of international standard.
"He has to work hard, maybe shed weight and comeback leaner and fitter as it's not just batting fitness that is sole criteria for selection," the source added.
Fitness is not the sole reason for his continual snubs, the Indian board official also clarified.
"His conduct on and off the field hasn't exactly been top notch. Certain things said, certain gestures made and some incidents have been taken note of. A bit more disciplined approach would only do him a world of good. Hopefully, Sarfaraz along with his father and coach Naushad Khan will work on those aspects," the senior official stated.
According to the report, Sarfaraz's celebrations after reaching the century against Delhi in a Ranji game earlier this year didn't go down well with the former chief selector Chetan Sharma, who was following the action from the stands. Before that, his behaviour during a break in the 2022 Ranji Trophy final had irked MP coach Chandrakant Pandit.
Asked if the IPL performance and apparent weakness against short ball also led to his snub, the source replied, "That's a perception built by media. Do you think there could be any cricketing reason?”
"When Mayank Agarwal broke into Indian Test team, he scored 1000 first class runs in one month. Did MSK Prasad's committee check his IPL credentials? Ditto for Hanuma Vihari, who came through domestic and A team ranks. If their IPL and white ball record wasn't checked then, why would SS Das's committee reinvent the wheel now? Simple. The reason is not a cricketing one," he elaborated.
The source claimed that it will be difficult for Sarfaraz Khan to make it to the team as of now.
"Just think about it. Why was Sarfaraz not even among the reserves for the World Test Championship? Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal were the two reserves after Ruturaj pulled out due to his marriage."
(With PTI Inputs)