Venkatesh Prasad backs bulky Sarfaraz Khan after Test squad snub: 'There are many with more kgs'

Mumbai batsman Sarfaraz Khan continued his rich vein of form as he pulled his domestic side out from a spot of bother, scoring his 13th first-class century against Delhi in a Ranji Trophy clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday. However, despite these performances, the national selectors didn't name the Mumbai batter in the squad for the upcoming two Tests for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He had also missed out on the two-match Bangladesh test series. And the former chairman of selectors and India pace great Venkatesh Prasad joined the list of backers who want to see the 25-year-old in the Test squad. Prasad took to Twitter to share his reaction. "Not having him in the Test Team despite 3 blockbuster domestic seasons is not only unfair on Sarfaraz Khan, but it’s an abuse to domestic cricket, almost as if this platform doesn’t matter. And he is FIT to score those runs. As far as body weight goes, there are many with more kgs," he tweeted.

Crucial partnership

The 41-time Ranji Champions were struggling at 66/4 when Sarfaraz came into bat. The right-hander once again posed serious questions to the national selectors, who ignored him while picking the Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar trophy, as he went on to score 125 (155) to rescue his side. He added 44 runs with wicketkeeper Prasad Pawar (25) for the fifth wicket and continued his batting masterclass with Shams Mulani, stabilising the Mumbai innings. The batter scored a ton, smashing 14 fours and 2 sixes while also stitching a crucial 100-run partnership with Mulani for the sixth wicket.

After reaching his century, Sarfaraz celebrated with great fervour in the direction of the locker room, to which Mumbai coach Amol Mazumdar made an exceptional gesture by tipping his hat to the young batter, signifying the importance of the knock.

Impressive figures

Sarfaraz has been performing consistently in the domestic circuit with spectacular Ranji seasons over the past three years. The 25-year-old has scored 3505 runs in 53 first-class innings at an incredible average of 81.51. The right-hander has been impeccable having scored 928 runs in 6 games and averaging 154.66 in the 2019-20 season, and 982 runs at an average of 122.75 in the 2021-22 season. In eight innings this season, Sarfaraz has scored 556 runs averaging 111.20 with three centuries, one fifty and a highest score of 162 that came against Tamil Nadu.