It's just a case of vacancies: Abhinav Mukund on Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz Khan | Source: Twitter

Sarfaraz Khan has been a topic of discussion in the cricket world since the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the teams for the first two tests against Australia, which will begin on February 9th in Nagpur.

While Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan received maiden Test call-up in the Indian side due to their impressive performances in white-ball cricket, Sarfaraz was once again overlooked by the selectors. 

The Mumbai batter has been consistently performing well in domestic cricket, knocking the door of the Indian Test team. In the ongoing season of the Ranji Trophy, he has accumulated 556 runs in 6 matches with an outstanding average of 92.67.

It’s not just this season, but he has been piling up runs for the past couple of years. He was the leading run-scorer in the 2021-22 Ranji season where he amassed 982 runs in just 9 innings at a stellar average of 122.75.

Many former Indian cricketers and pundits have expressed their share of disappointment on Sarfaraz Khan's India snub, Abhinav Mukund is the latest to join the bandwagon.  

During an interaction with News18 CricketNext, Mukund conceded that there are no vacancies in the Indian side as for now and hence Sarfaraz Khan hasn't gotten a chance. He also opined on Suryakumar Yadav's inclusion in the team. 

"I don’t think so. I think Sarfaraz should be there. Let’s keep that point straight. I think Sarfaraz has done enough to warrant a place in the Indian team. But, if you look at Ranji performances not being rewarded in this case, yes."  

"So, I think it’s just a case of the vacancies and the positions available. They’ve gone with a call that they feel is right for the first two tests by bringing in Suryakumar Yadav. I may or may not agree with that, but the thing is, there needs to be an opening for you to get in."

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