Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary Indian batsman, has lauded Sarfaraz Khan’s attacking 150 in the recent first Test match against New Zealand. Gavaskar believes that Khan’s batting performances are even more impressive than his waistline.
Khan, who was dropped for the first innings after scoring a duck, led India to 462 in the second innings with an explosive 150, his first Test century. His innings included 18 fours and three sixes.
Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar on Monday, “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.”
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,” wrote Gavaskar. “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.”
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,” wrote Gavaskar.
“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.”
