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Don't twist things: Irfan Pathan hits back as Sarfaraz Khan snub triggers storm; defends Agarkar, Gambhir's real 'plan'
Irfan Pathan stood by the BCCI, stressing that Sarfaraz Khan's exclusion from India A didn’t reflect mismanagement
India batter Sarfaraz Khan’s omission from the 15-member India A squad for the upcoming two-match red-ball series against South Africa A created a stir on social media. Several cricket experts, including legendary Ravichandran Ashwin, questioned the baffling selection announced on Tuesday. However, the BCCI finally gained some backing on Wednesday, as former India cricketer Irfan Pathan slammed the false narratives targeting the board.
Sarfaraz has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket and recently underwent a major transformation, shedding 17 kilograms over the summer. His fitness was evident when he scored back-to-back centuries in the pre-season Buchi Babu tournament. However, an injury ruled him out of the Duleep Trophy and the Test squad for the home series against the West Indies earlier this month. He was declared fit two days after the squad announcement and later scored 74 runs in the Ranji Trophy opener. Yet, he was still overlooked for the India A series.
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In reaction to the rage on social media from fans and experts, Pathan took to X to defend the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee and head coach Gautam Gambhir, urging people not to twist facts or spread false narratives.
He wrote: “Selectors and the coach (management) will always have a plan. Sometimes it might look wrong in the fans’ eyes, but please don’t twist things or create narratives that aren’t even close to the truth.”
Earlier, a report in the PTI on Tuesday said that Sarfaraz's non-selection was due to the return of Rishabh Pant, who has been picked as the captain of the India A side. The contest, slated to get underway on October 30, will mark Pant's return to competitive action for the first time since he was sidelined with a toe injury during the tour of England earlier this year. With the wicketkeeper-batter expected to bat at No. 5 in both matches, which is his usual spot in the Indian team as well, Sarfaraz failed to make the cut.
The report also highlighted that the selection snub revealed that, according to the selectors, he has fallen out of the pecking order behind Rajat Patidar and Rituraj Gaikwad. The RCB captain, who failed to make much of an impression in the three Tests he played at home last year against England, has been in the middle of a purple patch, having hit three hundreds, including a double ton and three fifties across his last eight innings in the last five first-class games, while his CSK counterpart smashed a century, 91 and a fifty in the last three first-class outings.
Earlier on Wednesday, speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin spelt out the tough truth for Sarfaraz, noting that the India A omission might close the door on his return to the national team.
He said: “If I were Sarfaraz Khan, that is what I would be thinking. He has been dropped from the India A side. It's literally like the door has been shut. Where will he perform? Now, if he performs well in first-class cricket, they will say he is very good only for first-class cricket. So he won't get picked for India A now. Where will he go and prove his credentials? Where will he show that he has improved? So, such non-selection feels like someone's decision, whether from the management side or the selection side, that we are no longer looking at him.”
