Sarfaraz Khan, a superstar in domestic red-ball cricket, marked his return to the Indian Test team for the 2-match series against Sri Lanka, but only as an injury-replacement player. As Sarfaraz grinds in the nets, looks to impress the coach Gautam Gambhir, chief selector Ajit Agarkar, etc. with his batting, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin dropped a word of caution, suggesting there’s a slim chance that the batter would even get to feature in India’s XI. For Ashwin Dhruv Jurel deserves the No. 6 spot over Sarfaraz in the team, simply because of the fact that he was named in the original squad.
When asked to pick between Sarfaraz and Jurel, Ashwin had no qualms in naming the latter. But, he also feels those in charge, like Gambhir and Agarkar, need to sit with Sarfaraz and give him clarity about his future, especially when it comes to Tests in subcontinent conditions.
“Dhruv Jurel,” Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel. “You have brought back Sarfaraz Khan. He has come in place of Sai Sudharsan as an injury replacement. That’s one,” he said.
“And I think clear messaging to Sarfaraz Khan is also important. If someone feels, Sarfaraz can be suspect in some conditions, then you have to give him clarity ‘Sarfaraz, you will get an opportunity to serve the team in subcontinent conditions’. So, you don’t waste Sarfaraz’s time and focus on improving himself. He can become the King of the subcontinent, become a good player of spin,” Ashwin said.
Ashwin feels as far as sub-continent conditions are concerned, Sarfaraz could become one of India’s most potent weapons. But, for him to build such a stature, he needs to be given chances.
“You need to keep the communication clear. You need to give him chances. If you think he is suspect, he needs to be told.
“Across the globe, people have specialists based on conditions. Take Australia, Australia have Peter Handscomb for subcontinent conditions. Usman Khawaja was brought back into the team to tackle spin, and he went on to become a regular opener.”