NEW DELHI: Sarfaraz Khan’s attacking 150 in the most recent first Test match against New Zealand was praised by legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar, who also said that his batting performances were even more impressive than his waistline.
Following his duck in the first innings, which saw India bowled out for 46, Sarfaraz led India to 462 in the second innings with an explosive 150, his first Test century, that included 18 fours and three sixes.
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His daring and unconventional smashes, particularly through the square area at the off-side, delighted cricket fans at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
“Sarfaraz Khan has been denied a place in the Indian team for some years now, despite scoring runs by the hundreds in domestic cricket. This was largely because those in a position to make decisions believed he didn’t have the slim waist they deemed necessary for international cricket. Sarfaraz’s returns on the field with the bat were even more prodigious than his waistline. Sadly, Indian cricket has had too many decision-makers with ideas that are hard to fathom,” wrote Gavaskar in his column for Sportstar on Monday.
Gavaskar also gave the example of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who, despite not having a particularly trim waist, excelled in Test cricket, making a brilliant 99 in Bengaluru and sharing a vital 177-run partnership with Sarfaraz in the second innings.
“Rishabh Pant is another player who doesn’t possess the slim waist that these fitness purists seem to want, but what an impact player he is. Let’s not forget that he also keeps wickets all day, which not only requires getting up and down for around six hours of play but also running to the stumps to gather the throws.”
“So, please discard these yoyo-yoyo tests and instead assess how strong a player is mentally. That will be a true indicator of a player’s fitness. If a player can bat the whole day or bowl 20 overs in a day, he is match-fit, regardless of how slim or not his waist is.”
Gavaskar questioned whether India’s eight-wicket loss in Bengaluru could cause them to worry ahead of a crucial trip to Australia later this year given Rohit Sharma’s team’s inability to handle bounce.
“That their heroics went in vain, as the batters who followed them simply didn’t have the technique or temperament to deal with a pitch that was different from the low-bounce ones where they dominate, only added to the frustration.
“If anything, the way the Indian batting has struggled in Chennai – where again there was some bounce – and now in Bengaluru, does make one anxious about what lies in store in Australia.
“Even the flattest of pitches there have more bounce than the usual Indian surfaces. That said, the Kookaburra ball should be an ally of the batters, as once a dozen overs or so have passed, the seam movement is almost negligible and batting becomes a lot easier,” he concluded.
