When the BCCI announced India’s 18-member squad for the upcoming England tour on Saturday (May 14), there was a notable inclusion in it.
Karnataka batter Karun Nair was named in the national side for the first time since 2018. He returned to the Test fold after doing performing consistently in domestic first-class cricket.
However, for Sarfaraz Khan, it was a heartbreaking moment as the young Mumbai batter was dropped despite not having done much wrong in the limited opportunities he got to represent the team in whites.
BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained the decision to sideline Sarfaraz Khan, acknowledging that the decisions made by the selection panel in a competitive environment like the Indian cricket setup might turn out to be unfair on certain individuals.
Having made his debut in 2024, Sarfaraz has played six Test matches for India so far, scoring 371 runs at an average of 37.10, including one hundred and three half-centuries. His only ton so far came against New Zealand in the first Test at Bengaluru as he slammed a magnificent 150 in a losing cause.
However, Sarfaraz failed in the remainder of the series, which India lost 3-0. Subsequently, he didn’t get a chance to play a Test match on the tour of Australia.
"It's fair on somebody, it's unfair on someone else. At the moment, he (Karun Nair) has scored heaps of runs. He has played a bit of county cricket," Agarkar said while addressing the media on Saturday.
"Sometimes you just have to make good decisions. Sarfaraz, I know he got a 100 in the first Test (against New Zealand) and then didn't get runs. Sometimes these are decisions the team management takes. At the moment, Karun has scored heaps of runs in domestic, has played a bit of Test cricket, played a bit of county cricket. With Virat not there, clearly we're lacking a bit of experience. We felt his experience could help," he added.
The chairman of selector also addressed query regarding Shreyas Iyer’s absence from the Test squad, stating that there was no vacant spot and asked the middle-order batter to ‘keep doing well’ to get a chance.
Iyer’s last Test appearance for India was against England at home in February 2024. Bad form and a back issue led to him getting dropped midway through the series. Since then, he has only featured in the ODI format. However, his form in the most recent Ranji Trophy season was pretty good -- 480 runs at an average of 68.57 with two centuries as Mumbai reached the semi-final of the tournament.
“Shreyas Iyer had a good One-Day series. He did well in domestic but at the moment there is no room but if he keeps doing well, I am sure he will find a spot back in test cricket at some stage,” Agarkar remarked.
Coming to Karun Nair, he played a key role in Vidarbha’s Ranji Trophy 2024-25 title win, being the fourth-highest run scorer of the season. The right-hander amassed 863 runs from 16 innings at an average of 53.93, including four hundreds and two fifties.
Karun also played County Championships for Northamptonshire in 2023 and 2024, slamming a double hundred in a match against Glamorgan in his second year with the team.
