Dilip Vengsarkar questions exclusion of Sarfaraz Khan from national squad

Mumbai, January 02. Indian cricket team captain Dilip Vengsarkar has expressed surprise over the neglect of Mumbai batsman Sarfaraz Khan. Vengsarkar stated that Sarfaraz possesses the capability to play in all three formats of the game, yet he is not being included in a single one. He noted that prior to his comments, several legendary former cricketers, including Sunil Gavaskar, had also raised questions regarding Sarfaraz being kept out of the team.

Vengsarkar opined that not finding a place in the squad despite being deserving is detrimental to the team itself. He highlighted that the batsman has scored a significant amount of runs in the domestic season. As per agency report, Sarfaraz has performed well in both major limited-overs tournaments, namely the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Proving his suitability for limited-overs cricket, Sarfaraz recently scored a rapid century off just 56 balls against Goa and went on to play a fine innings of 157 runs off 75 balls.

Vengsarkar found it truly surprising that the batsman is not being included in any format despite consistent performances and scoring runs for India whenever the opportunity arose. He recalled watching Sarfaraz and Devdutt Padikkal bat together against England in Dharamshala, observing that they batted very well. Vengsarkar further remarked that it was disappointing that Sarfaraz did not get another chance in the Test team following the home series against England.