In the wake of India beating England by six runs in a thrilling final Test at The Oval that saw the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series tied up, Congress leader and a cricket fanatic Shashi Tharoor has been applauding the team spirit but not spared a healthy dollop of criticism on the batting front.
Tharoor pointed out that Sarfaraz Khan
Tharoor also pointed out obvious disparities in the middle order of the Indian side where the Shubman Gill led team has got what it takes to keep up even after the fantastic comeback victory. He cited the problem of uniformity in the performance of middle order players as a potential liability as India gets ready to face stiffer matches in the future. Furthermore, he also made a good argument on the inclusion of Sarfaraz Khan, who was dominating domestic cricket and whose aggressive batting style was sure to bring in a useful ingredient to the national side.
Sarfaraz has been blistering in domestic cricket with huge scores such as scoring several triple centuries and performing well in the Ranji Trophy. Having exploded onto the Test stage with twin fifties on Test debut against England in February 2024 in a small club with legends such Sunil Gavaskar and Shreyas Iyer he is yet to be overlooked by national selectors.
Tharoor made the point that the kind of raw run getting prowess and ability to bat well under pressure, is precisely what India requires to fill up the number of batsmen as well as offer some variety in terms of names. As India plots its future schedule with its list of possible international matches, Tharoor demands that the selectors pay more focus on domestic performance and think of a new generation like Sarfaraz who have gained a reputation in Indian conditions.
The victory of India in London has once again proved the skill and toughness of the present squad, but Tharoor, in his warning, has got a point in defending excellence: complacency will not be condoned. As veterans make way and new leadership takes over, the case to bring Sarfaraz and his attacking ability as well as ability to score in the middle order makes itself stronger.
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