“Runs in domestic cricket must be valued”- Shashi Tharoor slams BCCI selectors after Sarfaraz khan snubbed

Thiruvananthapuram Congress MP Despite Sarfaraz Khan's impressive domestic cricket stats, Shashi Tharoor has criticized the Indian selectors for failing to include him in the Test squad. Despite not being able to play in Australia, Sarfaraz was left off of the Test squad for the five-match Test series in England. 

For the home series against South Africa and the West Indies, he was once again disregarded; this decision infuriated a number of supporters and commentators. Shashi Tharoor has taken aim at selectors after Sarfaraz’s ongoing abuse, citing his outstanding performance in international cricket.

Taking to his personal X account, Tharoor said that it is wrong to ignore the players who have been performing well in domestic cricket.

“This is frankly an outrage, Sarfaraz Khan averages 65-plus in first class cricket, scored a 50 on Test debut and a 150 in a Test we lost, made 92 in his only tour match in England (and a century in the practice match against the full Indian Test team) and still finds himself excluded from the selectors' frame of reference,” Tharoor wrote.

https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/status/1983401585230393768

While addressing the selectors, he stated that IPL performance has become a selection criterion, while players who work hard in domestic tournaments like as Ranji are overlooked.

He wrote, "I am also very glad to see Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw and Karun Nair making runs in the Ranji Trophy. Our selectors are too quick to discard proven talent in order to take a punt on potential. These are players who have proven themselves over and over again. Runs in domestic cricket must be valued by the selectors, not just the IPL; otherwise, why should anyone bother to play the Ranji?”

The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel has come under scrutiny for its player selecting method. Pacer Mohammed Shami recently questioned the lack of transparency in selection and fitness reports after being passed over for the Australian tour. 

Instead of age-based selection, Ajinkya Rahane advocated that aim and experience should be valued equally with youth. Karun Nair, too, expressed his unhappiness after being neglected, and Shardul Thakur hinted at the fierce rivalry for the limited all-rounder positions.

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