“I know why Sarfaraz Khan wasn’t picked” – Brad Hogg
Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg has explained why Sarfaraz Khan failed to make a cut in India's squad for the upcoming two-Test series against the West Indies next month.
The ace spinner said that the wicketkeeper-batter batter does not fit into the scheme of things since he bats in the middle order, with Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Ravindra Jadeja at No. 4, 5, and 6. Meanwhile, India already have wicketkeeping options in the form of KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan.
Hogg added that the Mumbai batter has failed to replicate his Ranji Trophy success in the Indian Premier League (IPL), especially against quality pace bowlers.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Brad Hogg said:
“Sarfaraz Khan has been sensational in the Ranji Trophy. Why is he not in this squad? I know why Sarfaraz Khan wasn’t picked and is not looked out in the India lineup right now at Test level.”
He continued:
‘One - he bats in the middle order for his state team that’s five or six. Also, in the IPL if you look at his record against good-quality high pace bowling, it’s not that good. I think this is where the Indian selectors are a little bit shy with Sarfaraz Khan. If he can improve that in the next IPL then I’m sure he’s going to have a long career for India at Test level.”
For the uninitiated, Sarfaraz Khan has, so far, amassed just 585 runs in 50 IPL games at an average of 22.5. The 25-year-old scored 53 runs in four games at an average of 13.25 and a strike rate of 85.48 while playing for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL 2023.
Sarfaraz Khan was dropped for his below-par performance with the bat mid-season. He was dismissed by Mark Wood, T. Natarajan, Rashid Khan, and Washington Sundar this season.
Did poor fitness levels and aggressive demeanour keep him out of the squad?😵💫😵💫
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After Sarfaraz Khan's absence, Brad Hogg highlights why Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped for WI Tests
Brad Hogg also said that he thinks Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped solely for WI Tests because of his underwhelming strike rate in the Bazball era. The 52-year-old feels that youth will play a more aggressive brand of cricket.
He said:
“I think it’s got nothing to do with his performance. He’s been one of the best number 3’s over the last decade. All it’s got to do with his strike rate. I think the Indian selectors want to go with youth, with more aggressive batting at the top of the order now."
Hogg continued:
"If you look at Pujara’s strike rate early on his career, it was around the mid-40s, the last two years have been around 37. That’s not good enough when you want to entertain the fans and England have shown that there’s been a bit of a revamp with the Bazball and people are loving the way that they’re going about it."
He added:
"I think this is where the Indian selectors want to go and the BCCI as well. If Test cricket is going to survive, we’ve got to have more aggressive batting out the top of the order especially.”
For the uninitiated, Cheteshwar Pujara has a career strike rate of 44.37, where he has amassed 7195 runs in 103 Tests. His strike rate was 41.71 and 48.52 in 2023 and 2022, respectively.
It’s worth noting that Pujara returned with scores of 14 and 27 in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final despite scoring three centuries for Sussex in county cricket this season. The right-handed batter had scored just 140 in six innings, including a solitary half-century during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Team India will play their opening Test against WI at Windsor Park in Dominica, starting July 12.
India’s Test squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.