'Sarfaraz Khan won't succeed in England, feels team management': Pujara addresses elephant in the room after batter axed

On Saturday afternoon, the Board of Control for Cricket in India unveiled the 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against England, with Shubman Gill named as the new captain and Rishabh Pant appointed as his vice-captain. The squad features fresh faces, with Sai Sudharsan, Karun Nair, and Abhimanyu Easwaran earning well-deserved call-ups. However, the most notable talking point is the exclusion of Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan, a consistent performer in domestic cricket and a standout in last year’s Bengaluru Test against New Zealand, where he smashed an impressive 150 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara reacts to Sarfaraz Khan's omission from Test squad(PTI)

Despite that sparkling performance, Sarfaraz struggled to replicate his form in the subsequent two Tests against New Zealand, which may have contributed to his omission from the playing XI during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Since returning to India, Sarfaraz has been relentless in his pursuit of excellence. Training under the guidance of his father, Naushad Khan, he has been honing his skills by facing 300-500 swinging deliveries daily and shedding 10 kilos to achieve peak physical condition.

His dedication and transformation made his exclusion from the England-bound squad all the more surprising and disheartening for the 27-year-old. The decision to leave out Sarfaraz has sparked widespread debate among cricket pundits and fans alike, with many questioning the selectors’ rationale. While he has been named in the India A squad for two Tests against the England Lions, his prospects of breaking into the senior team appear slim, likely contingent on multiple injuries during the England tour.

Adding perspective to the controversy, veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara suggested that the team management might have doubts about Sarfaraz’s ability to perform consistently on overseas pitches, a factor that could also explain his absence from the Australia series. While most beat around the bush, Pujara addressed the elephant in the room, bluntly sharing what he feels about Sarfaraz and his chances.

"The reason he is not in the squad, I feel, is he has been very successful in the Asian conditions or in India. The management feels that he may not be as successful in Australia or in England. And there were some fitness issues in the past. I don't know about his current fitness. But he has been working hard on his fitness also. So, at this stage, I feel it's a bit unfortunate. But at the same time, someone like Karun Nair, who has performed really well in domestic cricket, deserved an opportunity," said Pujara while replying to a Hindustan Times query during a call organised by Sony Sports network, the official broadcaster of India tour of England.

Pujara wants Karun Nair to replace Virat Kohli at No. 4

Pujara, who shared the dressing room with Karun Nair during the latter's last Test for India in 2017, expressed his delight at the Vidarbha batter’s return to the national side, fueled by an outstanding domestic season. The 37-year-old believes Karun Nair is ideally suited to fill the crucial No. 4 spot in the batting order, a position left vacant following Virat Kohli’s retirement.

"We don't know whether Shubman is going to carry on batting at number three, or is he going to drop down to number four. So if Shubman bats at number four, then there's a vacancy at number three, then someone like Abhimanyu Easwaran or Karun Nair could be a good fit at that position. But I would still like to see if Shubman can carry on batting at number three and someone like Karun, who has batted really well in domestic cricket, gets an opportunity to bat at number four," said Pujara.

"It will be a bit more suitable for him because Karun is someone who hasn't batted at number three in domestic cricket. I'm not saying he can't do it for the Test team, but the ideal position for Karun would be number four."

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